Brought me to you
by KSD17
Summary: AU: Wade moves to New York and meets his next door neighbour, Doctor Zoe Hart.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I'm back! I miss Hart of Dixie so much! Nothing on TV like it and it sucks. So here's another story to somewhat fill the void. Hope you enjoy! Please review and let me know if I should continue. Also thanks to people messaging me asking me to write again!**

Wade stepped into the elevator and pushed the button for the 12th floor. The doors started closing when he heard someone yell.

"Hold the elevator," the voice said. He stuck his hand out to stop the doors from closing and a pretty brunette stepped in looking flustered.

"Thanks," she said.

"No problem," he said smiling down at her. She looked up at him, noticing how handsome he was and instinctively fixed her hair. "Which floor?" he asked as he leaned towards the buttons. She leaned in as well to push her floor and their hands touched. Wade pulled his hand away as he felt a jolt of electricity course through his veins. She drew in a sharp breath and bit her lip, looking up at him.

"Oh looks like we're going to the same floor," she laughed, snapping out of her daze.

"Looks that way," he said with a smile.

"So you new here or just visiting?"

"I moved in 2 days ago," he explained.

"Oh that explains why I haven't seen you. I'm a surgeon, well a resident, and I'm just getting off a 48 hour shift. I'm Zoe by the way."

"Wade," he said, shaking her hand, feeling the electricity again.

"Where you from?" Zoe asked as the doors opened. He gestured for her to step out first and she offered him a grateful smile.

"Bluebell, it's in Alabama." They walked down the corridor.

"Wow, long way from home," she giggled.

"Yeah, New York is definitely somethin' else."

"This is me," Zoe said as they approached her door. Wade started laughing.

"This is my stop too," he said, pointing at the door opposite hers.

"Oh you're Sarah's boyfriend. She told me that you were moving in this week. My days kind of blur into each other being so busy at the hospital," she babbled. Wade watched her with an amused smile as she dug through her purse.

"You ok?"

"Yeah, just looking for my keys. I keep so much stuff in here. It's so heavy, I could use it as a weapon," she laughed awkwardly. She pulled out her keys and held them up triumphantly and turned to unlock her door.

"It was nice meetin' you, Zoe. Guess I'll see you around."

"You too." Zoe went inside as Wade unlocked his door.

XXX

Zoe stepped out of her apartment and closed the door behind her. Just as she turned around, the door to Sarah's apartment opened and Sarah and Wade walked out, holding hands.

"Zoe, hey!" Sarah said happily.

"Hey Sarah, Wade," she greeted.

"Oh you've met! That's great!"

"Yeah, we shared an elevator a few days ago," Wade explained.

"Isn't he the best?" Sarah gushed.

"Don't really know him but yeah, I guess."

"Oh, you are gonna love him. He is so funny!"

"How long have you been together?" Zoe asked as they walked to the elevator.

"Three amazing months."

"Three months?" Zoe gasped loudly. "I mean... Wow that's great!" she corrected quickly. Wade scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and Sarah kept smiling, not paying attention.

"It's just been so great having him here and now we're on our way to him find a job."

"What do you do Wade?"

"I'm a..."

"He's a bartender. He worked at the only bar in town in Bluebell. He mixes really great drinks. I have a few places lined up that are willing to meet with him. We're heading to Ardesia now to see the manager."

"I love that place," Zoe said.

"Yeah, it's so great. I hope he gets it but I'm sure he will. Won't you Baby?" Wade shrugged. The doors of the elevator opened up onto the lobby and they stepped out.

"It was nice catching up Sarah, good luck with the job hunt Wade." Wade nodded at her and smiled. Zoe turned and walked out of the building, greeting the doorman as she left.

XXX

Wade walked out of the elevator towards the apartment and saw Zoe standing at her door holding a few bags of groceries and trying to dig in her purse.

"You need help?"

"No, I'm... crap," she cursed as the bags fell to the floor. The contents went everywhere and Wade bent down to help pick them up. She was on her hands and knees crawling to get an apple that had rolled away.

"Marshmallows, really?" Wade chuckled, holding up the packet.

"They're my comfort food," she defended, grabbing them from him and shoving it into the bag.

"So this is what a surgeon eats, huh?" he asked, holding up a box of black and white cookies. "Comfort food too?"

"Those are my favourite things in the whole world. Don't judge me, I work long hours."

"No judgement here Doc," he said, laughing. He stood up holding two of the bags while she held the last one. She pulled her keys out her purse and unlocked the door.

"Thanks," Zoe said standing in the doorway.

"You not gonna let me in?"

"Why would I let you in?"

"To help carry in your bags," Wade said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Wow, what they say about Southern men is true I guess."

"Oh yeah, what's that?"

"I don't know, chivalry isn't dead down there or whatever."

"What, New York men wouldn' offer to carry your bags in for ya?"

"None that I've met," Zoe said walking into her apartment with Wade following close behind. He put the bags on the kitchen counter and looked around.

"Nice place," Wade said.

"Thanks," she replied, giving him a small smile. "Oh hey, did you find a job?"

"Got the job at Ardesia. Start next week."

"That's great, I'll probably see you there at some point. It's one of my favourite bars."

"You frequent bars often then?" he teased.

"Not really but I like my wine," she confessed, packing away her marshmallows and cookies.

"I'll keep that in mind Doc," he winked at her and Zoe blushed. "I... I better get goin'," he said suddenly.

"Thanks for the help."

"Anytime," Wade said, leaving her place. Zoe pulled out the bag of marshmallows and slumped down on the stool. She sighed and stuffed three into her mouth, thinking about how cute Wade was.

XXX

Wade was sitting on the couch strumming lightly on his guitar when Sarah sat down next to him and put her head on his shoulder.

"I made you coffee," she said.

"Thanks Babe," he smiled at her, leaning down and kissing her gently. When he pulled away he picked up his cup from the coffee table and took a sip. He scrunched up his face and put the cup down.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked, putting her hand on his back.

"Nothin' it's fine. Jus' don' really like cream in my coffee."

"Really? I was sure you did."

"It's ok," he said, squeezing her knee.

"Didn't you order it with cream when we went to Starbucks last week?"

"Nope, definitely not. But this is good," he assured her.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"It's ok Se. We're still learnin' that stuff about each other."

"Yeah you're right," she smiled up at him.

"How about you do that thing you know for a fact I like?" he said, raising her eyebrows up and down. She laughed and he pulled her down onto the couch with him.

XXX

Lying under the sink, Wade reached up with the wrench and loosened a screw. The garbage had been acting up and Sarah had asked him to fix it last Monday, the day he started work so it slipped his mind until she left him a rather passive aggressive note on the coffee machine this morning. The wrench slipped off the screw and sliced his arm open.

"Shit," he cursed, moving out from under the sink and seeing a lot of blood. He grabbed a towel and tried to clean it up but the bleeding wasn't stopping. He looked around not seeing something that could help and made his way across the hall. He banged on the door with his elbow, trying to hold the cloth in place.

"Zoe, I need your help," he called. A minute later, the door opened and Zoe was standing there in short shorts and a tank top that didn't leave much to the imagination. Her eyes landed on his bare chest and her mouth parted slightly.

"I had a fight with a wrench and lost," he smirked, holding up his arm.

"Mmm?" she asked, still looking at his chest, biting down on her lip.

"Doc? Hello?" he waved his hand in front of her face.

"What? Sorry," she blushed. "Oh my gosh, what happened to your arm?" she asked, noticing the blood stained towel.

"Where were you?" he laughed.

"Where was I when?"

"Just now, you spaced out. Told you I got into it with a wrench."

"Right," she flushed again. "Come in," she said, standing back.

He followed her to the lounge and sat on the couch. She sat next to him and put her hand on his arm. He jerked his arm back, once again feeling the electricity he felt 2 weeks ago when they first met.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "May I take a look?"

"Yeah," he breathed, clearing his throat and saying it again, more clearly. She removed the cloth and hummed to herself.

"What?" he asked.

"It's deep. You need stitches."

"Ok, so do we have to go to the hospital?"

"No, I can do them here. I'll be right back. Just keep putting pressure." She came back a few minutes later with a large medical bag and took out the things she needed. She removed the towel and started cleaning out the cut.

"So a wrench did this huh?" Zoe asked after a while.

"Yeah, was fixing the garbage disposal and it slipped." She leaned over to reach for something off the table and Wade caught a glimpse of what was under her already almost see through shirt. He chewed on his bottom lip while staring.

"This is going to sting," she warned, injecting right inside the cut.

"Ow! Warn a guy next time," he winced.

"I did warn you!" she defended herself, staring into his eyes. Wade felt his cheeks burn and he looked down at his arm, watching what she was doing.

"So is this what you normally wear around the house?" he enquired after a while. He saw her cheeks redden slightly and it made him strangely happy that he had that effect on her.

"I uh... wasn't expecting company. You normally walk around without a shirt?" she countered back.

"Pretty much," he shrugged.

"Lucky Sarah," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that Doc?"

"Nothing," she smiled. "So you're pretty lucky, if I do say so myself."

"Oh yeah? Why's that?"

"I am the best stitcher in my year. You probably won't even have a scar," Zoe bragged with a smug smile.

"I appreciate all the fine work you're doin' Doc."

"All done," she said, cutting the last stitch. "Come round in 5 days or so and it'll take me 5 minutes to remove."

"Thanks Doc, you're a life saver."

"Not quite but I'll take it," she giggled. She let Wade out and threw herself onto the couch. She felt stupid for being attracted to him when he was living with her neighbour. She rolled onto her stomach and let a frustrated moan into the pillow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews! Keep reviewing - they make me super happy!**

"Yeah, ok. Thanks man. I'll talk to you Friday then," Wade said, hanging up the phone with a sigh.

"Who was that?" Sarah asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Tucker. There's a problem with my dad's will. Somethin' about Jesse's lawyer fightin' it and sayin' he wasn' in his right mind when he wrote it or somethin'."

"Who's Jesse?"

"My brother, didn' I tell you that?"

"You probably did, must have slipped my mind. Sorry Baby."

"It's ok. He's gonna call me Friday after lookin' into it."

"Why is it only coming up now? It's been almost 4 months."

"Guess Jess is upset that he left me everythin'. I don' really care, we can split it in half if it comes to that," Wade shrugged. "I jus' want this to be over with."

"That's not fair. Your dad chose to leave it all to you for a reason. You should get George to fight it."

"Maybe, I'll see what he says Friday."

"Good. Now I bought you a new shirt that I think will suit you more than the plaid. When are those stitches coming out cause the bandage won't match the shirt."

"I like my shirts."

"You live in New York now and I want my boyfriend to fit with how I dress," Sarah said firmly.

"I guess," Wade said skeptically.

The next day, Wade woke up around noon after having a late night at the bar. Two hours before his shift, he got ready and found the shirt Sarah had bought him hanging on the closet door with a note telling him to wear it to work. He picked it up and sighed at the faded salmon colour. He put it on reluctantly and made his way over to Zoe's apartment. When Zoe opened the door, she was in scrubs with her hair tied back.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" she asked, stepping back to let him in.

"It's been 5 days," Wade said, waving his bandaged arm.

"Right, let me get my bag." Wade made himself comfortable on the couch while she went to get her bag. She sat down and undid the bandage, Wade feeling the electricity course through his veins at her touch.

"You workin' tonight?" he asked, watching her remove the stitches.

"Yeah, start my shift in an hour."

"Me too," he said giving her a small smile.

"New shirt?"

"Yeah Sarah said I need to dress like I live in New York..." he trailed off.

"I like you in plaid," Zoe said looking up and meeting his gaze.

"Thanks," he muttered, his cheeks going slightly pink. "Don' really feel like me when I wear pink." Zoe snorted a laugh causing Wade to laugh too.

"This is nice too, just different," she assured him. "All done."

"Wow you were right about almost not seein' a scar," he said impressed.

XXX

"Hey Paul, I need to take this call. I'll be right back," Wade called across the bar.

"Ok hurry cause it's getting busy." Wade walked into the back room and answered his phone.

"Tucker," he said curtly.

"Hey man, you busy?"

"Yeah, I'm at work so make it quick."

"Ok, sorry I'm calling so late. Jesse seems pretty set on protesting the will. But I'm gonna do my best to make it work," George explained.

"I don' care what happens with the money but jus' make it happen fast, I need this to be done so I can feel normal again."

"Will do my best, take care buddy." Wade walked back into the bar and spotted Zoe sitting at a table with a bunch of friends. He poured a glass of Pinot and walked over to her table.

"Hey there Doc," he said, placing the wine in front of her.

"Wade! Hi," Zoe replied with a smile. She picked up the glass and took a sip. "This is my favourite. How'd you know?"

"You look like a Pinot girl," Wade said with a smirk.

"I'll take that as a compliment," she giggled.

"I'll let you get back to your evening. Anythin' you need ladies?" Zoe's friends shook their heads and he walked away.

"Who was that?" Gigi asked, leaning forward at looking at Wade walk away. "He has a nice butt."

"He's my new neighbour," Zoe explained.

"That is the dream! Fall in love with the hot neighbour. You are so lucky!" Romy said.

"Nope, he moved in with Sarah, remember the girl that lives opposite me?"

"Bummer," Romy sighed.

"I hate that girl! She is so superficial."

"You have met her once Gigi, you couldn't possibly know that! And says you who wouldn't go on a date with a guy because he wore a nondesigner shirt." Zoe said.

"I don't deny that I'm superficial but I know a superficial girl when I see one. We can sniff each other out." Zoe and Romy burst out laughing and Gigi ignored them for the next 10 minutes.

XXX

"Hey Se, where's my beer?" Wade called looking in the fridge.

"It's in there," she called back from the bedroom.

"I don't see it."

"Ah seriously," Sarah said, storming into the kitchen. "Here," she said, shoving a six pack into his hands.

"This isn' mine," Wade said reading the label.

"Yes it is, you're the only one who drinks beer in this house."

"This is light beer. I don' drink light beer."

"Oh well I threw your other beer out."

"What? Why?" Wade said, getting angry.

"Because I want you to drink light beer," Sarah replied shrugging.

"What the hell Sarah? You can't just keep doing this!" Wade yelled.

"Doing what?" she asked innocently.

"Tellin' me what I can and can't wear or drink or eat or say."

"If you want to fit into New York then these are the kinds of changes you need to start making," Sarah yelled back.

"Well then maybe I don' know if I wanna fit in." Wade turned on his heels and stormed out of the apartment. He slammed the door and saw Zoe walking away towards the elevator holding bags of groceries.

"Zoe?" he called to her. She turned around slowly and grimaced.

"Oh, hey Wade. What's up," she said casually. "I'm just going out. I'll see you later."

"You're goin' out with your groceries?"

"Um... I'm donating them. To the needy." Wade walked towards her and peered into the bags.

"You're donatin' your marshmallows to the needy?"

"Yes?" she said more like a question than a statement.

"You heard us fightin' didn' ya?"

"I'm sorry. I was trying get find my keys and then I heard you unlock the door and I didn't want you to think I was just standing at my door listening so I figured I'd just leave."

"It's ok," he laughed. "Why don' I help you get these inside." He took the bags from her and walked towards her apartment. Zoe tried to protest but Wade ignored her and kept walking.

Once inside, Wade placed the bags on the counter and sat on the stool.

"Can I help you unpack them?" he asked.

"No thanks, I've got this," she replied, shooting him a smile before turning towards the fridge. "Can I get you anything? Coffee?"

"Got somethin' a little stronger?"

"Beer or wine?"

"Um... I'm not too sure about the beer."

"Why?" Zoe laughed.

"I don' think I'll New York beer."

"Isn't beer just beer?" Zoe asked, giggling. She put a bottle in front of him.

"This is regular beer!" he gasped.

"What did you think it'd be?" she asked, laughing even harder.

"Light beer."

"Is that cause I'm a girl?"

"No, it's cause you're a New Yorker."

"That makes no sense?"

"That's what we fought about... Me and Sarah."

"Wade, you don't have to..."

"I want to." Zoe nodded and sat down, leaving the groceries for later. "She told me I should start drinking light beer if I wanted to fit in here."

"How so?"

"She keeps trying to change my clothes, my drinks. She tells me what to eat."

"And she says that you need to change to fit in?" Zoe asked, clarifying. Wade nodded, fiddling with his bottle. "That makes no sense. You don't have to change who you are to live somewhere."

"In her eyes, I do apparently," he sighed.

"It's stupid. You can eat and drink whatever you want. And that pink shirt, not good." She shook her head.

Wade laughed, "Yeah, that's been burned. But thanks, maybe I'll talk to her."

"You definitely should. I'm not a relationship expert but I don't think that's something you need to keep bottled up."

"Thanks Doc. I better get going I guess, thanks for the real beer and for listening." Wade got up and squeezed Zoe's shoulder before leaving.

XXX

Zoe was getting the mail and stepped back, bumping into someone. She turned around to see Sarah.

"Hey Sarah. I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there."

"That's ok, how's it going?"

"Good, have a few days off which is nice. It's been so crazy at the hospital lately but it's great. And you?"

"Oh you know, work is really great."

"How are things going with Wade? He's lived here what, a month now?"

"They're ok I guess."

"Just ok?" Zoe enquired, walking with Sarah to the elevator.

"Yeah, I mean he moved to New York but won't give up his Alabama ways. Like the plaid, really Everyday? And his palette is so... southern. He just doesn't want to change."

"Oh, I guess that saying is true. You can take the boy out of the South but you can't take the South out the boy," Zoe laughed awkwardly.

"I don't think so. He chose to move here, he needs to let go of Alabama. He's not going to fit in anywhere he goes. People are going to think he's weird and then I'll be weird."

"Maybe just give it some time. I uh... just remembered I forgot to mail something. I'll see you around I guess," Zoe said. She rolled her eyes as she walked away, in awe of how Sarah just expected Wade to change and how he put up with her for so long. She would never expect that of him. She immediately chastised herself for thinking about Wade like that again and started going through her mail to distract herself.


	3. Chapter 3

Sarah walked into the apartment after work to find Wade lying on the couch playing video games.

"Did you do anything today?" she asked, throwing her keys down.

"Yeah, I bought groceries and painted the guest bedroom," Wade said, not looking up from his game. "I was thinkin' we should go to dinner, we haven' had a date in a while and it might do us good to get out."

"Sounds good, I'll go get ready. Just change your shirt before we go." Wade sighed as she left the room.

Wade pulled Sarah's chair out for her and pushed it in before sitting down. They ordered a bottle of wine and sat in silence reading the menus until it arrived and they ordered their food.

"So how was work?" Wade asked, breaking the silence.

"It was good, got a new client today."

"That's good. Anythin' interestin'?"

"No, not really." Wade nodded and they fell back into silence. Their food arrived and they started eating.

"I'm working tomorrow but have the rest of the weekend off. Maybe we could go look for that table you wanted?" Wade asked after a while.

"Yeah we can, I have that yoga retreat Saturday morning but maybe in the afternoon."

"Sounds great. You lookin' forward to that?"

"Yes, should be good," Sarah said with a small smile. Wade opened his mouth to say something but then the silence filled the table again. Once the food was taken away, Sarah pulled out her phone. Wade looked around and shifted uncomfortably.

"Oh my gosh! No!" Sarah gasped.

"What?" Wade asked, worried.

"Andi and Josh broke up."

"Who?"

"Andi Dorfman," Sarah said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Have I met her? Is that your college roommate?"

"No silly. The Bachelorette!"

"Which bachelorette? Are we goin' to a weddin?"

"No Wade, don't be stupid. The Bachelorette. As in the show on tv."

"With the roses?"

"Exactly."

"Oh uh... ok..."

"I'm so upset, I really thought these two would last," she sighed. Wade nodded and Sarah went back to her phone.

When they got home, Sarah pressed her lips to his and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I had the best time, Baby," she whispered, pulling away.

"You did?" Wade asked, perplexed. Sarah didn't reply but instead kissed him again. He responded and she dragged him to their room.

XXX

Zoe was jogging through Central Park when someone jumped out in front of her causing her to stop abruptly.

"Hey Doc," Wade said. Zoe took out her earphones and glared at him.

"Wade! You don't just jump out in front of someone in Central Park. I thought you were going to attack me!" Zoe scolded, hands on her chest. Wade started laughing.

"Sorry, I called your name but you didn't hear me,' he smirked and gestured to her earphones.

"Well now that my heart rate is back to a normal speed, what are you doing here?"

"Same thing as you Doc, I work hard to maintain these perfect abs you know." It was Zoe's turn to laugh and she shoved him lightly.

"I suggest we head back towards home soon, looks as if it might rain," Zoe said, looking up at the sky.

"Let's go then, I'll race you," Wade laughed, taking off. Zoe ran after him and eventually caught up to him when he slowed down. Just as they got to the entrance of the park, the skies opened and it started pouring. They ran into the nearest Starbucks and were lucky enough to find a table.

"This might go on for a while," Zoe said, looking out the window.

"You got any money for a cab?"

"Nope, you?" Wade shook his head. "You want coffee?"

"How you gonna pay for it with no money Doc?" Wade asked with a chuckle.

"I have that Starbucks app. Can pay using my phone."

"Well aren't we fancy," he smirked. He gave her his order and she got up to go to the counter.

"You working tonight?" Zoe asked once she sat down with their coffees.

"Yeah, had the weekend off which was good. You?"

"Nope, I actually have today and tomorrow off. A rare occurrence when you're a resident."

"You enjoy it though?"

"Oh yeah, I love it. The hours are crazy but I wouldn't have it any other way. What about you? You enjoying the bar?"

"Yeah, I mean it's not the Rammer Jammer but it's fine for New York. The tips are good at least."

"Well they would be with someone like you," Zoe said with a giggle causing Wade to smirk. "I mean with the accent," she clarified quickly and Wade nodded with a smug smile.

"You know, I don't recall you givin' me a very generous tip when you were at the bar with your crazy friends," he teased.

"35% is plenty generous mister!"

"I'm jus' sayin', I've got 50% before. And I gave you free wine!"

"I just bought your coffee so how bout we call it even?"

"Deal," Wade said with a broad smile that Zoe happily returned.

"It sounds like you really loved Bluebell so why'd you leave?" Zoe asked, fiddling with the lid of her third cup of coffee. The rain was long gone but neither had noticed.

"My dad died," Wade admitted.

"Oh Wade, I'm so sorry. When?" Zoe asked, reaching her hand over the table. When her hand touched his forearm, he bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from reacting to the electricity he now expected whenever they touched.

"3 days before I met Sarah," he confessed. Zoe didn't react and he kept speaking. "He drank a lot after my momma died but I loved him and I felt so lost after he died. I haven't felt like myself since to be honest. Only glimpses here and there."

"So Sarah..." Zoe started.

"She was in Mobile for business and we met at a bar. It was kinda crazy, we danced all night and 2 days later when she left was the first time we said goodbye. We kept in contact and I saw her for a weekend about two months in. That's when she asked me to move up here. It was... Bluebell jus' felt different without my dad around. I... I had to get away I guess. So when she asked, it was the perfect opportunity," he explained. "It hasn' been what I expected."

"But you do love her right?" Wade rubbed his hand through his hair and looked out the window.

"It's stopped raining. Wanna jog back?"

"Sure," Zoe said with a smile, dropping the subject. She lifted her hand from his arm and Wade felt a tingle which he attributed to the cold brought in from the outside when someone opened the door.

"Look Doc, I shouldn' have said all that stuff back at the coffee house. I care a great deal about Sarah and I'm glad I moved here to be with her," Wade said once they were standing in front of their apartments.

"I understand," She assured him. "I enjoyed our impromptu coffee meeting."

"Me too. Have a good rest of your day off." Zoe greeted him and went inside. She leaned against her door once it was closed and closed her eyes. She definitely needed to do something about this crush she had on Wade. They had such a good time at Starbucks but she felt so stupid for getting her hopes up when he told her about his relationship with Sarah.

Wade stared at Zoe's door for a while, thinking about how great the morning had been. He felt more like Wade than he had since he arrived in New York. All the times he felt like himself since he arrived two months ago had been during his brief encounters with Zoe or when he was behind the bar. He sighed and went inside, trying to keep his mind as far away as possible from Zoe.

XXX

"Zoe, wait up!" Zoe cringed before turning with a fake smile plastered on her face.

"Hey Sarah," she greeted.

"Wade's friend is coming into town this weekend and I wanna set you two up." Sarah said, jogging up to her in the hallway.

"Oh yeah?"

"He's a lawyer."

"Is he nice?"

"I don't know, I've never met him but he's a lawyer and I've seen a picture, he's really cute."

"Um... ok. Well I'm not working Friday night."

"Perfect! I'll let you know the details."

"Thanks Sarah, I'll see you later, I'm running late." Zoe smiled at her before turning to leave.

That Friday night, Zoe was putting on the final touches of make up when there was a knock on the door. She checked her reflection in the mirror one last time before opening the door. The guy standing there was really cute and had a really nice smile.

"Zoe?" he asked nervously.

"Yeah, hi George. It's nice to meet you."

"You too. Shall we get going?"

"Sure," she smiled and closed the door behind her. When they got to the restaurant, George pulled her chair out for her before sitting down himself.

"So Wade tells me you're a surgeon?" George asked after they ordered their food.

"Well a surgical resident but eventually I'll be one. So he told you about me?" Zoe asked, fiddling with her cutlery.

"He called me yesterday and said Sarah wanted to set us up so naturally I wanted to know more about you before I agreed to a date."

"What did he... uh... what did he say?"

"Not much, just what you do and that you're really funny and beautiful."

"He said that?" she asked, hopefully.

"I think he said gorgeous but yeah, something to that effect. He was right though," George said, shooting her a smile. She smiled back and blushed.

"Did he sound happy that Sarah wanted to set us up?" Zoe asked cautiously, trying not to sound too eager about Wade.

"He sounded kind of annoyed but he's Wade, he's not the best when it comes to talking on the phone." Zoe nodded slightly. "Have you lived in New York your whole life?"

"Yeah, I studied at Johns Hopkins so I was away for med school but other than that yes. What about you and Bluebell?"

"I actually lived in New York for 2 years a while back."

"Really?"

"I worked at Cravath, Swaine and Moore."

"Wow, what made you go back?"

"Bluebell is home, I loved it here but nothing beats Bluebell."

"Sounds like a great place," Zoe said nodding.

"Wade told you about it?" Zoe nodded, taking a sip of her wine. "Are you two close?"

"No, I ran into him last week, literally, and we got caught in the rain so we ended up hanging out until it passed so he told me about Bluebell and his dad and stuff."

"He told you about his dad?" George asked, shocked.

"Is that surprising?"

"A little bit. Wade doesn't open up a lot about that kind of stuff." Zoe just shrugged, smiling to herself.

"What was your favourite restaurant when you lived here?" she asked, changing the subject.

"I loved Per Se, it's..."

"I love that place! I go there all the time."

"I wonder if we were ever there at the same time although I'm sure I'd remember you," George said with a smile. Zoe blushed again and giggled.

"I had a really great time tonight Zoe," George said, standing outside her door.

"I did too," Zoe gushed.

"Good night," George said before leaning down and kissing her gently.

"Oh uh... sorry." Zoe pulled away and saw Wade standing in his open doorway with his hands in his pockets. Zoe went a deep shade of red and looked down and George gave Wade an annoyed look.

"I'm gonna go. Thank you for tonight George, night Wade." She quickly unlocked her door and went inside. George walked into Wade and Sarah's apartment while Wade stood in the doorway.

"You coming inside man?"

"Uh... I have to take the trash out. I'll be right back," Wade said, snapping out of his daze. He picked up the trash bag from the floor and walked to the garbage chute with his head reeling. He stood in the hallway for a few minutes, the image of Zoe with her lips pressed against George's replaying in his mind over and over. Seeing Zoe kissing George made him want to punch George and he was feeling something he had never felt before. "That's not good," Wade said to himself, rubbing his face and sighing.


	4. Chapter 4

Wade and George were sitting in traffic on the way to the airport that Sunday. Everything with his dad's will was finally sorted and Wade felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"You ever hear from Zoe again?" Wade asked, trying to act casual.

"Yeah, she just texted me yesterday saying she had a great time but nothing after that," George responded, fiddling with the radio. "What is this crap you're listening to?"

"Sarah doesn' like country music so she told me I have to change it." George rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Are you happy here? With her?" Wade swallowed hard before answering.

"Yeah, I guess."

"She's very demanding." Wade looked forward, hands tightening over the steering wheel and nodded. "You don't seem like yourself around her." Wade let out a deep sigh.

"After Earl died, you know how lost I felt. I didn' know who I was meant to be now that I didn' have to stay in Bluebell to look after him which is somethin' I think I always resented him for in a way. Jesse got to leave and I had to stay. Sarah was so... different to anythin' I've ever known and that weekend I met her, I got to pretend I was someone who hadn' jus' lost his dad. After she went back to New York, the reality set in again so when I saw her two months later and she suggested I move, I couldn' help but want to get away, to feel like I felt the weekend we met."

"I understand that, a change can be needed for a bit," George said sympathetically.

"When I got here, I stated realisin' how different we are. At first it was ok but then I noticed how she didn' pick up on little things like how I like my coffee. And then she started tellin' me how to dress and eat. I figured it was jus' part of adjustin' to New York and livin' with someone but now I jus' don' know. I was jus' so lost Tucker, I thought this was me. She helped me be a completely different person while I was dealin' with Earl's death but I don' wanna be that person and I'm only now seein' how this isn' me."

"Do you see it only around Sarah or New York in general?"

"When I'm at the bar I feel like myself. Or around," he paused, catching himself, "other people."

"Other people?"

"Uh yeah you know, other people I've met at work or jus' around."

"You need to talk to Sarah man; you can't keep living like this." Wade nodded and took the turn off to the airport.

XXX

Wade reluctantly got out of bed and walked over to front door, rubbing his eyes. Glancing at the time, he sighed seeing that it was only 5:30. He had gotten home at 3 from the bar and it didn't feel like he had slept at all before the loud knocking had woken him. He opened the door to find Zoe standing there looking frazzled. Her hair was half done and her glasses were almost falling off her nose.

"I blew a fuse," she said as he opened the door.

"What's that Doc?" he asked with a yawn.

"I am running late for work and I blew a fuse. Please come fix it," Zoe begged, dragging him across the hall. She led him to the fuse box and chewed nervously on her nail as he looked at it.

"Should be easy enough to fix," Wade said after a while. "You got any tools?" Zoe shook her head and Wade walked to her front door. "I'll be right back."

A while later, Wade came back inside with his toolbox. Zoe looked relieved when she saw him.

"You didn't think to put on a shirt?" Zoe asked with a chuckle.

"I plan on goin' straight back to bed once I'm done," he said with the start of a smile which was cut off by another yawn.

"Sorry I woke you. Sarah must be annoyed."

"It's ok and she's away on business. So this is you gettin' ready for work huh?" Zoe blushed and straightened out the one side of her hair. "You look cute, I like your glasses."

"Thanks," she smiled, pushing them up her nose.

"How was your date with Tucker? I mean it must have been good judging by the kiss I interrupted," Wade said, trying his best to sound like he didn't care but not quite pulling it off.

"It was a pleasant evening."

"You think you'll keep in contact?"

"Probably not, he was nice enough but not for me."

"Well that's good then," Wade said, smiling to him himself.

"Good?" Zoe asked and Wade straightened up.

"Cause you know, he lives in Bluebell and you're here," Wade stammered.

"I guess but that doesn't matter if it's the right person. George was perfectly sweet but there just wasn't a spark."

"So what kind of guy are you lookin' for then?"

"I don't know; someone who makes me laugh and gives me butterflies. Someone I feel comfortable around and will be there for me when I need him." Wade flipped the switch and the power went back on. Zoe blew out the candles around them. "Thank you! Maybe I can make it work on time now."

"No worries Doc. And uh... I'm sure you'll find a guy like that soon. Anyone would be lucky to have you," Wade said, picking up the tool box.

"Thanks again and sorry for waking you," Zoe said as they reached her door.

"Of course, anytime you need me you jus' come on over." She smiled up at him gratefully and a piece of her hair fell into her face. He lifted his hand to brush it away but dropped his hand to his side when he realised what he was about to do. "I'll let you get back to gettin' ready," Wade said, clearing his throat.

"Bye, sleep tight," Zoe whispered as he walked away. She sighed as she shut the door and made her way back to her room. It was only when she got to work that the butterflies in her stomach had stopped going crazy.

XXX

"Bye Sarah, I'm headin' out to work. I'll be home late," Wade called as he walked to the door. She walked into the living room and sighed loudly. "What is it this time?"

"That's what you're wearing?"

"Yeah. Bye."

"I've told you how many times that in order to fit in here, you need to stop wearing so much plaid."

"I like my clothes. You chose to be with someone from Alabama and we wear a lot of flannel. Jus' deal with it."

"George didn't wear any while he was here."

"Then if you wanna be with someone who dresses like that then date him. This is who I am," Wade yelled. "I am so sick of you tellin' me what to do."

"You didn't have a problem with it when we first met."

"Yeah well I wasn' myself then. My dad had jus' died."

"So what? You're saying that I fell for someone who wasn't 100% you?"

"That's exactly what I'm sayin'."

"Well I don't think I can be with someone who doesn't compromise."

"This is not about compromise. You are tryna change me and I don' like it. I am 31 years old, I can dress however the hell I want. I can drink whatever the hell I want."

"Not if you're with me. I'm not dating a beer guzzling, plaid wearing hillbilly."

"Yeah, you're right. You're not."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm done. I can't do this anymore."

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do Wade? You have nowhere to stay, your car is in the shop since you were dumb enough to buy a piece of crap that couldn't even make it back from the airport on Sunday. You have nowhere to go," Sarah yelled.

"I'll figure somethin' out but I'm sure as hell not stayin' here for a minute longer."

"Damn right you aren't. Get out of my house. And don't be surprised if you find your stuff thrown out on the street!" Wade threw his hands up and stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

He banged on Zoe's door as hard as he could, anger coursing through him. She opened the door and looked flustered when she saw how angry he was.

"I need you to make sure Sarah doesn't throw out my stuff," he said.

"What are you talking about?"

"She kicked me out or well... I ended things with her and then she kicked me out. But I have to go to work so I can't get my things. She basically said she was gonna throw them out on the street. So can you please make sure that doesn' happen?" Wade rambled, breathing heavily.

"Of course. Are you ok?" Zoe asked, putting her hand on his arm. His gaze softened and his breathing slowed down.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you for doin' this Doc," he said with a small smile. "I gotta get to work. Is it ok if I come by when I'm done to get my stuff? I don't know how late it'll be."

"You can stay here tonight, I have an extra room. Let me... hang on." Zoe ran inside and came out a few seconds later. "Here," she said, handing him a key. Wade gave her a grateful smile before turning to leave.

Wade unlocked the door and quietly stepped in at 3am. He pulled out his phone and turned on the torch. He saw 2 boxes of his things and a suitcase and he sighed.

"Hey." Wade startled as the light flipped on.

"Zoe, hi. I didn' think you'd be up."

"Figured I'd need to show you the guest room and stuff," she shrugged and walked towards him.

"Thanks, I really appreciate this. It's jus' for tonight, I'm stayin' at my buddy Paul until I get my car fixed. Did uh... Sarah say anythin'?"

"No," she said looking away.

"Zoe, come on."

"She just said that she couldn't believe she wasted 5 months on some hick," Zoe mumbled, not looking at him.

"Not as mean as I expected," he said with a bitter chuckle.

"I'm really sorry Wade."

"It's ok, I wasn' happy and I couldn' pretend anymore. Anyway, you mind if I go to bed? It's been a long day."

"Of course not, the guest bedroom is this way," Zoe said and Wade followed her. They said good night and Wade got ready for bed. He lay awake for a while thinking about the day's events. He was still mad at Sarah but he finally felt that the final weight had been lifted off his shoulders and he could truly go back to being himself.

The next morning, Wade woke up to the smell of burnt toast. He got out of bed and made his way to the kitchen to find Zoe standing over the toaster with her hands on her hips.

"Mornin' Doc. Everythin' ok?" he said groggily.

"I figured you'd want breakfast or something cause you had a rough day yesterday. But I burnt the toast. And the eggs. Coffee?" Zoe said, flustered.

"It's the thought that counts. Coffee'll be great," he said with a smile.

"Your accent is a lot thicker in the morning," Zoe pointed out and Wade blushed. "I like it," she assured him and he smiled shyly at her. He sat down and she placed the coffee in front of him. He tentatively took a sip and relaxed into his chair.

"This is good."

"I hope I got it right, I remembered from when we were at Starbucks," Zoe said awkwardly. Wade looked up and smirked at her and Zoe couldn't help but blush slightly.

"So what are your plans after your car is fixed?" Zoe asked, fiddling with her coffee cup.

"I'm not sure. Bluebell is home and I miss it but I like New York. I came here to get away from everythin' with my dad but I actually enjoy it here."

"Not that this is worth much but I've liked having you around these last few months," Zoe muttered and Wade felt a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. He smiled broadly at her and she looked up at him, chewing on her bottom lip.

"I've liked bein' around you Doc," he whispered sincerely. Still biting her lip, Zoe smiled and blushed. They stared into each other's eyes for a minute until they snapped out of it.

"I should get ready for work," Zoe said, looking down.

"Thanks for lettin' me stay," Wade said, staring into his coffee.

"You can leave the key under the rug when you leave but there's no rush."

"Thanks Doc. I'll see you around?" Zoe nodded and gave him a small smile before reluctantly going to get ready for work.


	5. Chapter 5

Zoe walked out of the apartment building and stepped into the cold air. She wrapped her sweater tightly around her wishing she had packed something more substantial but there was no time to go back and get something warmer. She pushed her way through the crowds of people always on the sidewalks of the city mumbling as she tried to move past a bunch of tourists. She loved her apartment but the area was so central that there were always people around. Eventually, she shoved her way past only to end up on her butt after walking into someone walking the other direction.

"Seriously?" she yelled, trying to get up. "Are you so incompetent that you..." she looked up and stopped talking.

"Hey Doc," Wade said, his eyes shining, as he held out a hand to help her up. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, thanks," she said as she stood up. "Sorry I yelled at you, I'm late for work. How are you?"

"I'm good, busy lookin' for another job so I can afford my own place."

"You're staying in the city?" Zoe asked as she wiped the dirt off her pants.

"Yeah, I uh... I like the people," Wade said, a smile forming on his lips. Zoe looked down and blushed.

"What are you doing in this neck of the woods?" Zoe asked, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"I'm headin' to Sarah's place," Wade huffed.

"Oh, I didn't realise you two were," Zoe started. "No, not like that," Wade interrupted quickly. "I didn' get my phone charger in all the mess last week so I'm pickin' it up. I'm not even sure if she'll be there."

"Well that's good then," Zoe said, smiling up at him before looking down at her watch.

"Hey so I was wonderin' if maybe we could," Wade said, shoving his hands into his pockets. Zoe gasped loudly and Wade stopped talking.

"I just remembered I'm late for work. I mean I knew but I forgot when we started talking. I'm so sorry Wade but I have to go. It was great seeing you, call me," she rambled and stood on her toes and kissed his cheek before running off.

"I don' have your number," he called after her but she was long gone.

XXX

Zoe, Gigi and Romy climbed out of the cab and made their way into Ardesia.

"Any particular reason we are coming to this bar Zoe?" Gigi asked with an amused smile as she watched Zoe look towards the bar as they made their way to a table.

"What? Uh no, you know I love this place. They have great wine."

"Mmhmm, sure," Romy said as they sat down.

"Why else would we come here?" Zoe asked, annoyed.

"You mean other than your hot neighbour who happens to work here."

"I don't have a hot neighbour who works here," Zoe insisted.

"Yes you do, we met him a few weeks ago."

"Yeah, he's not my neighbour anymore. Him and Sarah broke up."

"When did that happen?"

"About 2 or so weeks ago."

"So you're telling me that your first night off since he's been single, we happen to choose this bar and it's purely coincidence?" Gigi pressed. Zoe glared at her.

"I'm going to get us drinks," she said before getting up and making her way to the bar.

"What can I get for you?" the bartender asked when Zoe leaned against the bar.

"Is Wade working tonight?" Zoe asked over the music.

"Seriously? You too?" Zoe looked taken aback and gave him a questioning look. "You know how many girls come in here asking if he's working and if he is, they wait to be served by him. What is it about that guy?"

"He was my neighbour when he first moved to the city. So does he go home with a lot of these girls?" she fished.

"Look, lady, either you order something or go back to your friends. I don't have time for chit chat," he snapped. Zoe rolled her eyes. This guy was such a typical New York ass. No wonder girls requested Wade. The thought made her feel sick though. She quickly realised the bartender was waiting for her to order and she just shook her head and walked back to her friends.

"Where are our drinks?" Romy asked.

"Um... They were out of the wine I wanted so can we go somewhere else?" Zoe explained, wanting to leave as soon as possible. She never found out if Wade was working or not but she did not feel like spending her first night off in weeks watching a bunch of women throw themselves at him. Berating herself for still having this stupid crush on him and knowing she would probably never see him again, she let herself enjoy the rest of her night with her friends, pushing Wade to the back of her mind.

XXX

Zoe stepped out of the cab and smoothed her dress out before making her way into the building. She checked her coat and stepped into the ballroom.

"Finally!" Romy said running up to her. "There are no hot men here. Only stuffy old guys who look like they're on death's door step."

"Then why did you make me come to this stupid party?" Zoe moaned.

"Because this is the party of the year Zoe. We have to be seen at events like this to be noticed."

"You sound like my mother," Zoe said as she grabbed a champagne flute from a passing waiter's tray. "I'd like to state for the record that I told you this party would be stupid. Let's just go and we can change into something a little less formal and go to a bar or something."

"No way! I want to see what food they're serving! We're staying till dessert." Zoe rolled her eyes and Romy before downing her champagne and making her way to their table.

Half an hour later, Romy was talking to a group of older men while Zoe leaned against a pillar grabbing hor d'oeuvres from trays as they passed her.

"Fancy seein' you here," a voice that she recognised said into her ear. She whipped her head around and smiled when she saw Wade leaning against the pillar next to her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, beaming up at him. Even in heels, he still towered over her.

"What? Can't a good ol' southern boy enjoy a society party every now and then?" Zoe giggled and shook her head. "I'm bartendin'," he explained.

"Well then I guess I owe you a thank you for all the drinks I've consumed tonight," she said, giggling again.

"How you gonna thank me?" he asked with a smirk, his eyes twinkling mischievously. Zoe stood up on her toes and placed her hand on his chest. She leaned up and placed a lingering kiss on his cheek before whispering a thank you huskily in his ear. Wade moved to place his hands lightly on her hips but she stepped away before he managed to. She gave him a shy smile before walking away to Romy. Wade watched her walk away and went back behind the bar, looking over every now and then, smiling to himself as she laughed at something her friend said.

Later that evening, Wade poured a glass of Pinot and made his way over to where Zoe was standing. He handed her the glass and she gave him a grateful smile.

"Can I steal you away for a minute?" he whispered and Zoe nodded, allowing him to guide her through the crowd. Romy, who had been standing in the same group of people Zoe was, gaped at Wade as she realised who he was and watched them make their way to somewhere more private, Wade's hand on the small of Zoe's back.

"Hi," Wade said when they came to a stop.

"Hi," Zoe replied.

"You sure do look pretty in that dress, Doc," Wade murmured placing his hand on her hip. "Haven' been able to stop thinkin' bout our run in a few weeks back."

"Oh yeah?" Zoe asked, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Yeah, I'd like it to happen again. Maybe planned this time." Zoe opened her mouth to answer when someone came up behind Wade and smacked him on the back.

"Kinsella, I'm not paying you to flirt. Get your ass back behind the bar." Zoe blushed deeply and Wade rolled his eyes at his boss before giving Zoe an apologetic smile and dropped his hand, turning to walk away.

It was nearing midnight when Zoe walked towards the bar and caught Wade's eye. Throughout the night, they would make eye contact and smile at each other from across the room. He pulled himself away from the drinks and hurried over, ignoring the angry yells from the drunk men demanding drinks.

"I'm gonna head out," Zoe said when he reached her.

"Can you wait 5 minutes so we can talk?" he asked, breathlessly.

"Ok, I only have 5 minutes though, I have an early start and I want to get enough rest."

"Yeah, I'll be quick." Wade made his way back to where the men were and ran his hands through his hair trying to keep track of the orders they were giving him. He looked over at Zoe and sighed. He excused himself from the men again and went over to her.

"I can't get away, it's too busy. But swing by the bar sometime this week. I'm working every night so any time will be good. Please," he begged. "I really wanna see you."

"Ok," Zoe agreed. "I don't work Tuesday or Thursday evening so it will be one of those nights."

"Great Doc. Can't wait," Wade said, smiling at Zoe before being called over by some of the patrons. They said their goodbyes and Zoe headed out to meet Romy.

"So the hot neighbour and you were pretty flirty," Romy teased as they stood outside waiting for a cab.

"Shut up," Zoe said, folding her arms over her chest. Romy shook her head and laughed.

"You should totally tap that. He is HOT."

"He just got out of a relationship."

"So? The way he was looking at you definitely did not make me think he was pining for her. You gonna see him again?"

"Maybe," Zoe said shortly but couldn't stop the smile that formed on her lips.

On Tuesday, Wade made sure he wore his favourite shirt to work just in case Zoe came by. Every time someone walked into the bar, Wade would stand up straighter and look over to the entrance but by midnight, Zoe still hadn't come in and Wade had given up hope. When the bar closed at 2am, Wade started wiping down the counter top and exhaled loudly.

"What's up man?" Paul asked from his spot cleaning tables.

"Nothin'," Wade said.

"You've been distracted all night, something's gotta be up?"

"I was jus' hopin' to see someone tonight but it's no big deal," Wade said.

"Oh yeah? Who?"

"Remember Zoe?"

"The hot neighbour?"

"Yeah," Wade responded, a smile playing on his lips.

"Well look at you man! Get in there!" Paul laughed. Wade glared at him and shook his head before turning back to wipe down the glasses. "What?" Paul asked, "She's hot, you're single, there's clearly chemistry from what you've told me."

"If she comes by on Thursday, I'll see what happens."

"I'll cover for you while you take her to the back room," Paul said with a laugh.

"Ain't gonna happen," Wade said, turning back to look at Paul. "Maybe in a coupla weeks if things go well," he added, waggling his eyebrows up and down.

XXX

The bar on Thursday night was more packed than usual. Wade was struggling to keep up with the drink demands and watch the door to see if Zoe walked in. At around 9pm, the manager called Wade over.

"I need you to sign for the wine that's arriving in about half an hour. I'm heading out for the night."

"Why is it only arriving tonight?"

"There was a delay with the shipment from California but we need it as soon as possible. Just check there are 24 bottles, sign for it, have them take it to the back and put them in the fridge." Wade nodded and went back to behind the bar. Half an hour later, a woman in her late thirties came over wheeling a crate of wine behind her.

"Wade?" she asked when he came over and he nodded, shaking her hand.

"Let's take this to the storeroom and I'll sign for it," he said before letting her come through behind the bar. He took the crate from her and wheeled it to the storeroom.

Zoe walked into the bar and looked around for Wade. When she didn't see him, she made her way to the bar and sat on an empty stool. The bartender from her last visit sauntered over and asked what she wanted. Not wanting to get on his bad side again, she ordered a glass of wine. She took a long sip when he placed the glass in front of her, on high alert for Wade.

Meanwhile, Wade was in the storeroom talking to the distributor. She was telling him a story about her 8 year old twins who had gotten into her husband's vinyl collection and decided to play Frisbee with some very rare records. He was laughing loudly as they exited the storeroom. He let her walk through the door first and when she almost tripped on the step from the storeroom to behind the bar, she grabbed onto his arm to steady herself. He put his hand on her arm to make sure she was ok.

Zoe sat at the bar staring into her almost empty wine glass when she heard loud laughter. She looked up and saw Wade and a pretty woman come out from the storeroom laughing. When she grabbed onto his arm and he placed a hand on her lower arm while smiling at her, Zoe felt her stomach sink. She dug through her purse and found cash before putting it down on the bar and making her way for the exit without looking back. When the cold air hit her face, she let out the breath she had been holding. She had honestly thought that when Wade asked to meet her at the bar that there was a chance something could happen. She didn't go on Tuesday because she was too nervous and needed the extra two days to build up the courage to go meet him. She felt stupid for wearing her favourite dress and putting in so much effort with her hair and makeup. As she made her way into her apartment, she threw her shoes to one side and made a beeline straight for her emergency stash of marshmallows.


	6. Chapter 6

Wade lifted his arm from the distributor after making sure she was ok and looked up to see Zoe sitting at the bar, digging through her giant purse. He quickly excused himself from the woman and smiled as he walked across the bar towards her. Zoe threw money down and walked towards the door without looking back leaving a very confused Wade standing where she left the money. He called to the bartender that he'd be right back and ran after her. He managed to push past the people just in time to see her get in a cab. He called her name as she closed the door and he stood on the sidewalk with his hands shoved deep in his pockets. After a few minutes, he sighed and went back to work.

The next morning, Wade got out of bed at 7 and headed to Starbucks. He grabbed two cups and coffee and made his way to Zoe's apartment building. He made his way to the 12th floor and knocked on Zoe's door. There no answer but he decided to wait for a while in case she was still sleeping. He leaned against the wall and waited for her while sipping on his coffee. When he had finished his coffee he knocked again but there was still no answer. Once again, he leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. When her coffee was cold, Wade gave up and decided to try again another time. He pushed himself off the wall with his foot and sighed, scrunching up his empty coffee cup. Just as he turned to walk towards the elevator, the door in front of him opened and out stepped Zoe. She was looking down and tying her hair back.

"Hey there Doc," Wade said with an easy smile. Zoe startled and looked up.

"What are you doing here?"

"I uh... I brought you coffee but it's cold now. I knocked a coupla times but no answer."

"So what, you're just stalking me?" Zoe asked, annoyed by what she had seen the night before.

"It was the only way I could make sure I could see you seein' as I don't have your number and you ran outta the bar last night. Why'd you leave?"

"I didn't want to bother you."

"I wouldn' have told you to come by if you would be botherin' me Zoe."

"You looked busy," Zoe scoffed.

"I was just puttin' away the wine delivery with the distributor and it took a while cause it was a huge delivery. It was delayed from California so she could only come by last night," Wade explained.

"Oh," Zoe mumbled.

"Wait... were you... jealous? Is that why you left?" Wade asked, smirking.

"No of course not!" Zoe insisted but felt her neck heat up and knew her cheeks were going red.

"I think it's adorable that you were. Even though there's no need. I'd like to take you out on a date," Wade said. Zoe blinked up at him. "If you want," he added awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'd love to," Zoe said smiling up at him and biting her lip.

"Yes!" Wade said pumping his fist and giving her a goofy smile. "You know what that means right?"

"Uh no..." Zoe said getting worried with what he might say.

"I'm gonna need your number," he said winking at her, pulling out his phone. Zoe let out a relieved laugh and dug in her purse for her phone. They exchanged numbers and walked towards the elevator.

"So when's your next night off?" Wade asked bumping his arm against hers in the elevator.

"Monday."

"Ok. I'm gonna try get off work so we can go on our date."

"I hope you can, it's my last night off for 3 weeks. This month I'm scheduled to do overnights and most of my time off is during the day. I really want this date to work out though," Zoe said shyly.

"I'll make a plan Doc. Don't you worry your pretty little head about it," he responded with a smirk. She rolled her eyes and shoved him lightly. He looked down at her and laughed. The doors of the elevator opened on the ground floor and the couple moved to step out. Wade walked Zoe to the subway station so she could get to work.

"I'll call you," Wade said standing at the stairs to the station.

"Can't wait," Zoe said, a slight blush forming on her cheeks.

"Have a good day at work," he said. Zoe smiled, tension suddenly filling the air. Both weren't sure if they should hug goodbye or not. Zoe lifted her hands slightly but then dropped then to her side.

"Thanks," she said awkwardly. "Talk soon," she added, tucking her hair behind her ears. She smiled at him one last time and turned to walk down the stairs.

"Bye," he called after her before turning to walk away.

That Sunday afternoon, Wade called Zoe.

"Hello?" her voice answered.

"Hey, it's Wade," he said into the receiver. He heard shuffling and after a few seconds she responded.

"Hey, how are you?"

"Good, good. You?"

"Great thanks."

"Listen, I couldn' get off work tomorrow night," he started.

"Oh," she sighed, he could hear her disappointment.

"But."

"Yeah?" Zoe asked hopefully.

"I was thinkin' maybe we could get lunch on Tuesday? I know that uh... lunch isn' really the ideal time of day for a date and all but I never work in the day and you have the days off now. And I wanna go on this date now, you know? But if you think lunch is a stupid idea then we can wait till your next night off," Wade rambled and stopped when he heard Zoe giggle.

"Lunch sounds great," she said as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Awesome! I'll pick you up at 12 on Tuesday, sound good?"

"Perfect."

"See you then! Oh and Doc?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm excited to see you." Zoe let out a nervous laugh.

"Me too," she assured him. They said their goodbyes and hung up.

On Tuesday morning, Zoe woke up unusually early. Her stomach was going crazy with butterflies and she kept waking up in the night thinking about what she should wear. Eventually at 7:30, she gave up trying to fall back asleep after being awake for an hour and went for a run. By the time 11:30 came around, Zoe had already changed her outfit 3 times only to settle with her first choice. She was sitting on the couch bouncing her knee up and down waiting for 12 o'clock to arrive. At 11:58, there was a knock on the door and Zoe shot out of her seat, grabbed her bag and practically ran to the door. Before she opened it, she paused and took a deep breath. When she saw Wade, the butterflies went crazy. He was wearing a dark blue plaid button down with jeans, nothing fancy but she thought he looked drop dead gorgeous.

"Hey," he said and she smiled at him before finding her voice.

"Hi," Zoe responded, hoping her voice came out normal. He looked her up and down, taking in her short skirt and tight top and licked his bottom lip slowly. She looked away and blushed and when she looked back, he winked at her.

"You look amazing," he said huskily. He cleared his throat and when he spoke again, his voice sounded casual again. "I thought we could go to this place in Midtown where there's a waterfall and it's apparently a great spot to have lunch. You been there?"

"I've heard about these spots in the city where there are waterfalls but I've never been to one."

"Alright, let's get goin'," Wade said with his signature smirk. Zoe stepped out of her apartment, pulling the door closed behind her. Wade slung his arm over her shoulder as they walked to the elevator.

They took a cab to Midtown and Wade tipped the driver when they got there. They went to a nearby restaurant and ordered take out before making their way to the location. There weren't many people around and they sat at a table in a more secluded spot away from everyone else.

"This is pretty amazing. I can't believe I've lived in the city my whole life basically and never seen this," Zoe said with a laugh.

"Yeah, Google was pretty helpful for his date. Glad you like it."

"So where is your apartment?"

"It's actually pretty close by, it's a few blocks from the Empire State Building. I got really lucky. It's not cheap but it was the best deal I found that is still in the city. I work as much as I can and I do bartendin' on the side for private events as you know so I manage. I'm lucky New Yorkers tip well I guess," Wade laughed.

"I'm sure they only tip well for you," Zoe said softly.

"Oh really, and why is that?" Wade said, smirking.

"You know why," Zoe mumbled, blushing.

"I'm not sure I do."

"I've told you before, it's the accent."

"That all?"

"And you know..." Zoe trailed off.

"Mmm?" Zoe could hear the amusement in his tone.

"Cause you're hot."

"You think I'm hot?" Wade asked, enjoying teasing her.

"Waaaddddeeee," she whined, blushing more.

"Ok, ok. I'm jus' teasin'." He laughed as she shoved his arm. "For the record Doc, I think you're hot too." Zoe smiled at him and threw a fry in his direction which he caught and put into his mouth, still laughing.

An hour before Zoe's shift at the hospital started, the couple made their way back to her place. Standing outside her door, Zoe and Wade were trying to prolong the goodbye for as long as possible.

"I had a really great time today Doc, I'm glad we did this," Wade said, taking both her hands in his.

"Me too. I'm bummed I have to get to work."

"We'll definitely do this again soon," Wade assured her. Zoe beamed up at him and he took a small step forward. He leaned down and their lips were about to touch.

"Wade?" a voice said and they jolted apart, Wade taking a step back and Zoe dropping her hands to her side.

"Hey Sarah," Wade mumbled. "How are you?"

"How long have you two been seeing each other? Is this why you ended things? What the hell Zoe, how could you steal my boyfriend?" Sarah yelled, ignoring Wade's question.

"Hey now," Wade said, holding up his hand. "She didn' steal me away from you. You actually jus' interrupted the end of our first date."

"This is unbelievable. I can't even look at the two of you right now." Sarah shot one last glare at Zoe before turning on her heels and storming towards the elevator.

"Well that was awkward," Zoe said after a few minutes of tense silence. Wade breathed out a strained laugh.

"Yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I better get going, don't wanna be late for work."

"Ok, I'll call you," Wade promised, leaning down and kissing her cheek. He reached out his hand and squeezed hers before she turned around to unlock her door. She opened the door and turned back to him, smiling.

"Thanks again Wade," she whispered. He nodded and turned to walk away. He took a few steps before turning around to face her one last time.

"Oh hey, Zoe?" he called as she was walking into her apartment.

"Yeah?" she asked, sticking her head out the doorway.

"I can't wait for our second date." He smirked when he saw Zoe blush and she smiled widely at him before telling him the same thing. Wade waited until her door was closed before turning and walking towards the elevator, feeling really satisfied with how the date went. Even though they had been interrupted by Sarah, it had been one of the best dates he'd ever been on. He was already planning the next date in his head, excited to see how this was going to pan out.

 **Author's note: The apartment Wade stays in is a legit apartment I found online and it is totally affordable for a bartender! Super nice too. Wrote this chapter weeks and weeks ago so I can't remember the link**


	7. Chapter 7

3 weeks had passed since Zoe and Wade's first date and Wade was waiting at the zoo to meet Zoe for their fourth date. Between them both working late nights and needing to sleep in the day and Wade working extra events whenever he could, they were both pretty busy so taking things slow worked well for them. For their second date, they had gone to movies and for their third date, Wade made them lunch in his apartment and they had hung out playing video games before she was paged to the hospital for an emergency.

"Hey," Zoe greeted him with a smile. He pushed himself off the railing he was leaning against. "You ready to see some animals?" she asked with a laugh.

"Yeah, in a minute. I jus' needa do somethin' quick." Zoe shot him a confused look before he stepped forward, cupping her face with his hands and pressing his lips against hers. After a few seconds, Zoe snaked her hands around his neck and he moved his hands to around her waist, pulling her close. Wade deepened the kiss, running his tongue on her bottom lip and Zoe opened her mouth, allowing him access. After a few minutes, they pulled apart and smiled at each other.

"What was that for?" Zoe asked breathlessly.

"We never finished our last two dates properly cause you were paged and I've been wantin' to kiss you since our first date. Didn' wanna miss my chance again," Wade explained; his signature smirk on his face. Instead of replying, Zoe pressed herself up on her toes and kissed him again.

"It's about time," she murmured against his lips before she moved away, stepping back. Wade chuckled and took her hand, intertwining their fingers. He pulled her into him and kissed her temple.

"We gonna do this or not?"

"I've been ready since I got here, you were the one who wasted time with all the kissing," Zoe teased, elbowing him lightly.

"I don' recall you complainin' much," Wade husked into her ear. Zoe laughed and kissed him quickly while they walked towards the entrance of the zoo. They spent the rest of the afternoon laughing and joking all while stealing a few kisses.

"I love penguins," Zoe said as they watched them waddling around the enclosure. "They're so fancy."

"Fancy? What you mean?" Wade asked.

"Well look at them, they look like they're wearing tuxedos. It's adorable." Wade started laughing and pulled Zoe in for a hug.

"You're adorable Doc," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. She rested her head on his chest and they stood in comfortable silence for a while.

"I like spending time with you," Zoe blurted out, pulling away slightly and resting her hands on Wade's chest.

"Likewise," Wade replied, smiling down at her. "You wanna get some ice cream before headin' back?"

"The answer to that question is always yes!" Wade shook his head and laughed before kissing her nose. Untangling from their embrace, Wade took Zoe's hand once again and they walked towards the ice cream vender. Wade loved spending time with Zoe and knew he wanted to get more serious with her. They hadn't spoken about whether or not they were exclusive but he wasn't looking to date anyone else.

"Wade?" Zoe asked, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"I asked which flavour you want."

"Uh... I'll have mint choc chip."

"You okay?" Zoe asked.

"Yeah sorry. Jus' zoned out," Wade explained with a smile.

"Am I that boring?" Zoe asked, feigning offense.

"It's a struggle stayin' awake around you," Wade said sticking his tongue out.

"Jerk!" Zoe scoffed, smacking his chest while trying to hide her smile. Wade pulled her into him and whispered "kidding" before pressing his mouth against hers. It wasn't until the ice cream vender coughed that they pulled away, Wade taking the ice creams while Zoe hid against his chest, embarrassed by their public display of affection.

3 weeks later, Zoe and Wade were curled up on the couch in Zoe's apartment watching a movie on Netflix. Wade was lying down and Zoe had her head resting on his chest, their hands linked over his stomach and his other hand was playing with a strand of her hair absentmindedly.

"My buddy Tom is gettin' married in a month," Wade said, pressing pause on the movie. Zoe lifted her head off his chest and sat up slightly, their feet still tangled together and her hand on his stomach.

"Is he a friend from Bluebell?" she asked as he propped himself up on his elbows and faced her.

"Yeah, he's marrying a girl I used to work with. Wanda."

"That's cute. Are you going to go to the wedding?"

"Yeah I am. I was wonderin' if maybe you wanted to... you know... come with me?" Wade mumbled. "No pressure though," he added quickly. Zoe looked at him intently. This was a big step in their relationship. They hadn't labelled what they were but were spending as much time together as possible. Because of her schedule, this was only their 8th official date but she would go to the bar with her friends when he was working so she could see him and they spoke every day. The fact that he planned to still be dating in a month made her heart flutter.

"Let me know the dates and I'll put in my request for leave," Zoe responded and felt him relax under her. "Speaking of plans, are you working on Friday night?"

"What you have in mind? Paul owes me one, I can ask him to cover for me."

"It's just a party," Zoe said, tracing patterns on his chest. "That my mom is throwing," she muttered under her breath.

"You want me to meet your mom?" Wade clarified.

"We probably won't even see her; there will be a ton of people there. But she does it every year and I'm required to go. Thought it would be fun if this year, I could drag someone along to suffer with me," Zoe babbled.

"You make it sound so appealin' Doc," Wade said laughing.

"Never mind, it was a dumb idea," she mumbled, sitting up more and moving away from him.

"I'd love to go with you," Wade said, pulling her down onto him. She squealed when she landed on his chest.

"You really don't have to; it'll probably be super boring."

"How can a night with you ever be borin'?"

Zoe turned a deep shade of red, "You are always so charming."

"Not always," Wade said with a glint in his eye. He cupped her face and pulled her up so that their lips met. He rolled them over so he was on top of her and deepened the kiss. He ran his hands up her sides as she slid her hands under his shirt and ran them up his back. Moving her mouth to his neck, he moaned softly and slipped one hand under the hem of her shirt. She pushed him away when she heard the all too familiar sound of her pager. Wade huffed as she reached across the table to reach it. Zoe read what it said and looked up at him with guilty eyes, biting her lip.

"Go," he sighed and she kissed him quickly before slipping out from under him and going to her room. When she came out, she was dressed for work and was tying her hair back. "I swear this hospital is tryna kill me. Every time I try make a move, the pager goes off."

"I know, I'm sorry!" Zoe laughed, putting on her shoes. Wade picked up his shoes and slid them on. "I'll see you Friday?" she asked as they walked towards the door.

"Of course."

Wade hailed a cab for Zoe and kissed her deeply before she got in, telling the driver to go to the hospital. She waved at him as she drove away. Wade sighed and turned to walk towards the subway station.

XXX

"Come here," Zoe said. Wade stepped forward and Zoe reached up to fix his tie.

"You know Doc, if you had told me I had to wear a suit before I agreed to comin', I may not have been so willin'."

"Why'd you think I didn't tell you until after you agreed?"

"You're diabolical," Wade whined.

"Yeah but you like it," Zoe giggled.

"Can't deny that," Wade responded and leaned down and kissed her gently. They pulled apart when the elevator doors opened and they stepped out into her mother's penthouse. Wade took a deep breath when he saw all the people and moved his hand up to loosen his tie before Zoe smacked his hand away.

"Leave the tie!" she whispered, laughing.

"Zoe Hart? Oh I haven't seen you since you were in college! How are you?" an older woman said as she embraced Zoe.

"Hi Mrs Thornton. Have you moved back to New York?" Zoe said as they pulled apart.

"Yes, yes. A few months ago. Florida was too boring for me. Who is this?" she asked, motioning to Wade.

"This is my," Zoe paused not knowing how to introduce him. "Friend, Wade Kinsella." Wade's eyes narrowed and he looked at Zoe for a split second before turning his attention to the woman in front of him.

"Pleasure ma'am," he said, shaking her hand.

"Oh a southerner, how charming," Mrs Thornton gushed. They spoke to her for a few minutes before making their way to the bar.

"That wasn't so bad," Zoe said and Wade just nodded, getting a beer from the bartender and taking a long draw. "What's wrong?" Zoe asked.

"Nothing," Wade said shortly, wiping his mouth.

"Are you sure? You seem a bit... Oh here comes my mom. Don't panic." Zoe reached down for Wade's hand but he stuffed his hand into his pocket before she could intertwine their fingers. Zoe looked up at him, confused.

"Zoe darling. So glad you could make it. Your dress is stunning," her mother said as she reached them.

"Thanks mom," Zoe said.

"Your hair though. I thought I told you to go to Sal for an appointment?"

"I did."

"Oh well. It looks... nice. And you are?" she said, turning her attention to Wade.

"Mom, this is Wade Kinsella. Wade this is my mom, Candice Hart," Zoe said, placing her hand on his arm.

"Mrs Hart, it's a pleasure to meet you," Wade said, shaking her hand.

"How do you know my Zoe?"

"We're _friends_ ," Wade said, the word sounding like it was poison in his mouth. Candice didn't seem to notice but Zoe flinched as he said it. Candice chatted to them for a few more minutes before heading off to greet more guests.

"What the hell was that Wade?" Zoe asked, her voice low.

"Friends? Seriously Zoe?" Wade spat.

"What was I meant to introduce you as?"

"Do you honestly think I would have asked you to come to Bluebell with me as a friend?"

"You are being ridiculously immature right now," Zoe said and he rolled his eyes.

"How many other _friends_ do you have right now Zoe?"

"You are overreacting and I am not going to stand here and fight with you about this. When you decide to talk to me like an adult, you can come and find me," Zoe said before turning on her heels and making her way across the room.

Wade downed his beer and ordered another one. After half an hour of standing at the bar warding off unwanted female attention and watching Zoe socialise from across the room, Wade made his way over to her when the person she was talking to ended the conversation. Zoe was standing with her back to him looking around for someone else to talk to. He stood behind her and placed his hands on her hips, leaning down and nuzzling into her neck.

"I'm sorry I acted like an idiot," he murmured into her ear.

"Do you know why you were an idiot?" she asked, turning around to face him, placing both hands on his biceps.

"I know we haven' exactly had the discussion of what we are. I shouldn' have expected you to introduce me as anythin' else, especially to a complete stranger."

"Thank you."

"I guess now's the time to have that discussion?" Wade asked awkwardly.

"At my mother's party?" Zoe asked with a giggle.

"Well no," he said chuckling. "Although it's not gonna take long to tell you what I want."

"It's not?" Wade leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

"Uh uh," he murmured. "Really, it's just one word," he said, breathing against her lips.

"And that word is?"

"Wouldn' you like to know," Wade laughed, pulling away from her. Zoe let out a frustrated sigh and shoved him causing him to laugh louder.

"Just for that, I'm introducing you to my Uncle Dexter, the most boring man on the planet," Zoe said with an evil glint in her eye. She took his hand and dragged him across the room.

"Uncle Dexter, hi!" Zoe said enthusiastically. Wade groaned inwardly. "This is Wade."

"Her boyfriend," Wade said, sticking out his hand to shake her uncle's hand. He looked down at Zoe as if to ask if that was ok. Zoe laced their fingers together and smiled up at him.

"Yes, he's my boyfriend," she confirmed.

 **Author's note: Hi :) Just a fair warning - I have barely started the next chapter yet and with the fall tv back on, I have substantially less time in the evenings and I sort of have writer's block. I wanted to get this chapter up because I think it ends well and if by any chance, it takes months for me to update, it will be ok because it's not a cliff hanger or anything. If anyone has ANY ideas of what they would like to see happen, please PM me or leave a suggestion in the reviews. It might kick start me and get me over this writer's block.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm back! I know it's been like 9 months since I last updated and I apologize for that! I got sucked into fall tv (like I said I would) and now I am moving back to my home country so it has been a very busy time. Co** **ordinating a move across the world is complicated. Anyway, thanks for all of you who kept reviewing and asked me to update. I'm sure no one i gonna be interested in this anymore but I will finish this story.**

"Zo, I really have to get ready," Wade said as he propped himself up on his elbow and ran his hand through her hair. Zoe stuck out her bottom lip and pouted. "No, don' pull that face. It makes me feel bad."

"Good! You should feel bad."

"I gotta go to work."

"Can't you skip it?"

"I already got Paul to cover for me last night."

"Ok fine, you can go. But just know that you do not have a very happy girlfriend right now."

"You're jus' sayin' that cause you like callin' yourself my girlfriend," Wade laughed.

"That's true," Zoe agreed and rolled Wade onto his back and straddled his hips. "I'm still sad you have to go to work though." She leant down and kissed his neck, eliciting a moan from her new boyfriend. After the party, they came back to Wade's apartment and he finally got to make his move without being interrupted by her pager. It was now 5pm the next day and they had yet to leave the bed. Wade put his hands on Zoe's hips and pulled her lips to his. After a few minutes, he rolled them over so that he was on top and pulled away.

"Sorry baby but I gotta go," he said as he climbed out of the bed and walked to the bathroom.

"Tease!" Zoe yelled after him and threw a pillow at him, hitting his naked behind. He chuckled but kept walking, not turning around. She heard the shower turn on and she got out of bed and picked up her clothes. She slipped on her dress from the night before and crawled around the floor looking for her shoes.

20 minutes later, Wade was ready and he put his hand on the small of her back to guide her out the door.

"So when can we go on our next date?" Wade asked as they walked to the subway station.

"I'm working double shifts all this week but I have Wednesday night off."

"I'm bartending at an event on Wednesday. What about this weekend?"

"I'm working the whole weekend. But I'm free next Monday."

"That's more than a week of not seein' you," he said glumly.

"I know," she sighed.

"We've done it before."

"That was before you were my boyfriend," Zoe sulked. "It sucked then too but I had to pretend I was ok with it."

"You're pretty cute when you miss me," Wade said, leaning down to place a quick peck on her lips. Zoe sighed as she swiped her Metro card and walked through the turnstiles. Once on the train, Wade wrapped an arm tightly around Zoe while he held onto the pole with the other hand. Zoe tucked her head under his chin and squeezed him tight.

"My stop is next," he murmured into her ear. She looked up at him and he kissed her as the train was slowing down to a stop. "I'll see you soon," he promised, untangling from her embrace and stepping off the train. He waved at her as the doors shut and the train sped off.

XXX

Wade was standing behind the bar and rolled up his sleeves of his black button down. He was bartending at some fancy event filled with young twenty somethings who acted way too snobbish and entitled for his liking.

"What can I get for you ma'am?" he asked, sauntering over to one of the patrons leaning over the bar.

"There is an empty room upstairs, why don't you meet me up there in 5 minutes and I'll show you what you can get for me," the girl said with a wink.

"Thank you for the offer but I have a girlfriend," Wade said.

"She's not here is she?" Wade shook his head slowly. "Well then, what she doesn't know won't hurt her." The girl reached out for Wade's hand but he moved it away just in time.

"No thank you. Would you like somethin' to drink?"

"No. But when you change your mind, you come find me," the girl said seductively, leaning over and slipping something into Wade's front pocket. As she walked away, Wade reached into his pocket and pulled out a rolled up $100 bill. Shaking his head, he dropped it into the tip jar.

Wade spent the next hour warding off unwanted attention and was finding it exhausting. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time and sighed as he saw he still had two hours to go.

"What's a girl gotta do around here to get a drink?" he heard a voice say.

"You have no idea how good it is to see you," he said walking up counter. Zoe smiled at him and he beamed back. "I've missed you."

"I missed you too!"

"How'd you get in?"

"What? I don't look like a 20 something socialite?"

"Baby, you are a socialite."

"WAS. Not anymore. But point is; I know how to work it when I need to and I managed to talk my way in."

"You definitely know how to work it," Wade said with a smirk, his eyes sparkling. He reached over the bar and ran his thumb over her hand. "Hey Jack?" he called to the other bartender, turning away from Zoe.

"Yeah man?" Jack said, walking over to him.

"Can you cover the bar real quick? I gotta run to the restroom."

"Sure thing," Jack said. Wade nodded to him and walked out from behind the bar. He checked over his shoulder and saw that Jack had his back turned and he grabbed Zoe's hand, pulling her towards the stairs.

"Where are we going?" Zoe asked, giggling as he ran up the stairs, two at a time. She struggled to keep up in the heels she was wearing but Wade wasn't slowing down. Once upstairs, he looked around and saw the empty room the girl at the bar had mentioned earlier.

"This way," he said.

"You're acting crazy," Zoe said, trying to stop giggling. He pulled her into the room and shut the door behind her. Before she could look around, Wade had her pressed against the door, his lips pressed firmly against hers.

"I've missed you so much," he panted against her mouth, his hands settling on her behind. He squeezed and gave an appreciative moan. Zoe slipped her tongue into his mouth and their kiss grew in intensity. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. Backing away from the door, he made his way to a table where he put her down, his lips never leaving hers.

Zoe pulled away, gasping for air, and Wade took that opportunity to place wet kisses down her neck. She moved her hands to the hem of his shirt and slid her hands underneath, feeling his muscles tighten under her touch. She undid his belt and pulled it off while Wade put one hand under her dress, finding her underwear. He hooked two fingers around them and pulled them down swiftly. Zoe's fingers worked quickly to undo Wade's pants and pushed them down along with his boxers. Wade pulled her closer to the edge of the table and his lips found Zoe's again. She ran her hands through his hair as they became one.

"That was unexpected," Zoe said as she watched Wade pull his pants up from around his ankles.

"Yeah, was not expectin' to get lucky tonight. Even though many girls offered." Zoe huffed while he put on his belt. He looked up at her and smiled at her pout. "Relax, I told them I was taken by a very sexy surgeon."

"Ok good. My scalpel skills are not just handy in the OR."

"Yikes, remind me never to get on your bad side."

"Oh I will. That means you're stuck with me."

"I'm ok with that," Wade said with a wink as he pressed his lips against hers for a moment. "I have to get back to work but why don't you go to my place? I'll be there in about 2 hours. I know you have work early but I really wanna be with you."

"Sounds like a great idea. I'll see you a bit later," Zoe said kissing him as he handed her his keys from his pocket.

When Wade got home that night, he got ready for bed and climbed in next to Zoe.

"Hi," he said, kissing her gently.

"Hi," she whispered back. She snuggled down into the blankets and nuzzled into his chest. "The event was good?"

"Oh yeah, got a bunch of tips but the best part was the quickie I had with a very sexy brunette. And now I get to fall asleep with said sexy brunette in my arms." Zoe smiled and kissed his bare chest once. Wade turned out the light and wrapped his arm tightly around Zoe, whispering a soft good night.

XXX

"Ma'am?" a voice asked that brought Zoe out of her daze.

"Yeah?"

"We are gonna need you to vacate the table. You've been sitting here for almost an hour and we can't wait for the rest of your party to join. We have other patrons who need tables."

"I'm sure he'll be here soon, he's just running late," Zoe sighed exasperated.

"I hate to be the one to tell you this but I think your date stood you up," the server said with a sympathetic pat on Zoe's shoulder. "We see it all the time. These girls meet guys on Tinder and they never show up."

"It's not a Tinder date, he's my boyfriend."

"Oh honey," the server said sympathetically. "I'll bring the check," she added as she walked away. A few minutes later, Wade run into the restaurant and made his way to where Zoe was sitting.

"Baby, I'm so sorry I'm late. I got on the wrong train and somehow winded up in Brooklyn," Wade said with a chuckle, leaning down to give Zoe a kiss. She turned her head away slightly and his lips met her cheek. Wade didn't think anything of it and sat down as the server wandered over with another menu.

"Oh he showed," she said dryly, placing the menu on the table in front of Wade. "Aren't you lucky."

"What was that about?" Wade asked as she walked away.

"Nothing," Zoe snapped.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine."

"You sure? You seem a bit irritable."

"I said I'm fine Wade, let's just order." Wade decided to drop the subject and looked at the menu.

"So how was work today?" Wade asked after they ordered. He reached from Zoe's hand but she moved it away and put it in her lap.

"Fine," she said quietly. "How was your day?"

"It was good, I bought a suit for the wedding this weekend. It's Lord of the Rings themed so it was pretty tough to find. Tom sent very specific instructions of what I should wear so at least I had somethin' to go off of. I think I'm gonna have to wear elf ears. Don' know how I feel about it. What you think about that?"

"I think it sounds fine," Zoe said after a while. Wade sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Are you excited to see Bluebell?"

"Yup."

"Zo," Wade groaned.

"What?" she asked, meeting his gaze.

"Are you ok?"

"How many times do I have to say I'm fine? God Wade, just drop it. Let's just get this dinner over with," Zoe snapped at him.

"Um ok. If you're sure." Zoe nodded curtly and Wade continued. "I'm really excited for you to meet everyone. We'll have a real good time, I can't wait to spend all weekend with you. Lavon made sure my place is clean and stuff so it's all ready for us."

"That's good," Zoe said with a small smile. Wade sighed again and downed the rest of his wine.

After a very awkward dinner, Wade and Zoe left the restaurant and walked in the direction of her apartment.

"Do you wanna get some ice cream before we head back to your place?" Wade asked.

"Not really in the mood," Zoe mumbled.

"Well hey now, I remember on our fourth date, you said you always wanted ice cream," Wade said, nudging her lightly with his elbow.

"I don't tonight."

"Can you jus' tell me what's wrong? Is this cause I was late?" Wade asked, coming to a stop.

"Yes, it's because you were late," Zoe finally blurted out. Wade rolled his eyes and lifted his hands out of frustration.

"You said it was fine!"

"It's obviously not fine. You were an HOUR late. I almost got kicked out of the restaurant. The server thought I was stood up. By a Tinder date. Do you have any idea how embarrassing that is?" Zoe shouted, gesticulating wildly.

"I'm sorry, I got lost. You know how confusin' the subway can be when you're in a hurry," Wade explained, trying to remain calm.

"You could have texted me. At least then I wouldn't have been sitting there like an idiot."

"I did text you!" Wade yelled.

"Once! And you said you would be 'a few minutes late'. Not an hour."

"Yeah, I should have texted again but I was tryna get back to the city. To you." Zoe rolled her eyes and started walking away. Wade rushed after her and grabbed her hand, turning her towards him. "Can we jus' go back to your place? We haven' seen each other in a while and I wanna spend time with you."

"That's exactly the point. We never see each other. And the one time we do, you're late."

"So you really wanna spend the little time we have fightin'? Yeah, I was late and I'm sorry about that but let's just forget about it. I don' wanna waste our time."

"Maybe we should stop wasting our time then," Zoe muttered.

"Great. Let's go then. We can grab some wine on the way home," Wade said, taking her hand and starting to walk off again but was stopped when she didn't move. He turned back and she pulled her hand away.

"I meant maybe we're wasting our time with this whole relationship."

"Woah. That's a jump I never expected. What the hell Zoe? I said I was sorry for bein' late. Where is this comin' from?" Wade urged, exasperated.

"It's almost been a month since we've been official and we've only seen each other five times. Is it really worth it?" Zoe's eyes were burning with tears and Wade's face fell as she said it.

"If you still wanna come with me to Bluebell on Friday, let me know," Wade said before he stepped forward and cupped her face, kissing her passionately. He pulled away before Zoe could deepen the kiss. "I think it's worth it," he whispered.

"It's just so hard not seeing you as often as I want," Zoe said, her voice trembling.

"I know Baby. But us fightin' when we DO see each other makes it worse. I'm so sorry for bein' late. I should have texted more than once. But I don' wanna fight. Do you really feel like this isn' worth it?" Zoe intertwined their fingers together and looked up at him.

"It is. It really is. And I can't wait to see Bluebell and spend 48 uninterrupted hours with you."

"You know, we can spend 12 uninterrupted hours together right now," Wade husked out with a smirk. Zoe pressed up onto her toes and pressed her lips against his.

"Can we get ice cream on the way?" Zoe asked shyly as she pulled away.

"I knew you couldn' resist ice cream!" Wade laughed as he slung his arm around her shoulder and led her to the ice cream place.


	9. Chapter 9

"Zoe! Open up!" Wade yelled as he banged for the sixth time on her door. He looked down and covered his eyes in frustration and pounded on the door with his elbow. "Zoe!" He heard a door open and looked up to see Zoe's door still firmly shut. Bracing himself for what was about to happen, he turned around, coming face to face with Sarah.

"Trouble in Paradise?" Sarah asked snidely.

"Hi Sarah," Wade said, giving her a tight smile.

"So what did you do this time to get you kicked out of someone in this building's apartment?"

"Actually, I am jus'..." Wade didn't finish as Zoe's door flew open, her voice stopping him in his tracks.

"Wade! There is no need to bang and yell like that," Zoe shrieked. "Oh, hey Sarah." Wade turned around to see a very red faced Zoe standing there in just a white fluffy towel. Sarah raised her eyebrow and shook her head.

"I'll leave you two love birds alone," she spat before heading towards the elevator. Once the elevator doors closed, Zoe turned her attention back to Wade.

"What the hell?"

"What? I didn' say anythin' to her, I jus' was standin' here and she came out of her apartment."

"Not that. Why were you yelling and banging like that?"

"I've been standin' out here for 20 minutes and you're not even ready to go! We're gonna be late."

"Our flight is in 4 hours," Zoe said dryly.

"Yeah but... traffic," Wade finished lamely.

"We have more than enough time. I promise. Sorry I didn't hear you, as you can see I was in the shower."

"Mmm yes, I can see that," Wade said seductively, a smirk forming on his face as he looked her up and down.

"How do you turn it on just like that?"

"Turn what on? Little Wade?"

"No ew Wade! I meant your charm," Zoe squealed, smacking his arm and blushing.

"Yeah yeah, sure ya did," Wade said with a wink. He picked up his bag and walked into her apartment. He placed a lingering kiss on her lips once he dropped his bag. "Go get ready," he said, closing the door behind him and lightly shoving her towards her room. He grabbed her towel as she walked away and she was left standing there stark naked.

"Wade!" she whined. "You're incorrigible!" Wade just laughed as she ran to her room. He followed her in and flopped himself down on her bed, watching her pick out her outfit. He folded his arms behind his head and made himself comfortable. He loved watching her get ready and didn't think he would ever get tired of seeing her carefully pick out her clothes and apply her makeup. He loved the look she got on her face when she was concentrating on getting everything perfect.

"So you think Lavon will approve?" Zoe asked half an hour later, spinning around. She wasn't dressed up, wearing a pair of comfortable jeans and a sweater, hair up in a messy bun but to Wade, she still looked beautiful. He was shocked that her casual look took half an hour to put together.

"Why do you want to impress Lavon?" Wade countered, narrowing his eyes at her.

"He's picking us up from the airport and I want your friends to like me."

"You look perfect and he's not gonna care. And if he does, I'm gonna have to have a word with him, man to man."

"Jealous?"

"I don' like other men wantin' what's mine," Wade said possessively, sitting up and ruffling his hair.

"My high school therapist would kill me for saying this but you're sexy when you're being so cave man over me," Zoe said as she knelt on the bed.

"Cave man? Hey!"

"Come on Baby, it's kind of archaic. But I think it's sexy." Wade stuck out his bottom lip and pouted, glaring at her. Zoe climbed into his lap and kissed his cheek but his pout didn't dissipate. She put her arms around his neck and kissed his jaw. "Are you mad at me?" Zoe asked sweetly, placing kisses down his neck. Wade merely gave her an annoyed grunt in response.

"What about now?" Zoe asked as she ran her hands down his back, still kissing his neck. He groaned softly but still didn't say anything.

"And now?" she said, moving her hands under his shirt, nipping at his ear lobe. She heard his breath hitch and felt his muscles tighten as she ran her hands up his back but he still didn't say anything.

"Now?" she whispered, grazing her lips against his ever so softly while moving her hands over his abs. Zoe blinked slowly and smirked at him. Wade lunged forward and captured her lips with his. Within seconds, he had her on her back on the bed. He started tickling her sides and laughed as he straddled her, holding her down.

"Wade! No," Zoe gasped between laughs. Wade stopped tickling her and looked down at her, her chest moving up and down as she caught her breath. He leaned down and kissed her passionately, eventually climbing off of her and lying down next to her. He wrapped one arm around her waist and the other hand in her hair, their legs intertwining as he pulled her close. Their kiss slowed down but the intensity didn't decrease. After a few minutes, they pulled away and pressed their foreheads together, Wade playing with her hair.

"We should get goin'," Wade whispered after a while. Zoe nodded and reluctantly moved away from Wade's embrace. Once her shoes were on and her hair was fixed, Wade grabbed her bag and headed to the front door. "You ready for Bluebell?"

"Is anyone ever ready for Bluebell?" Zoe retorted. Wade laughed and shook his head as they left the apartment.

XXX

Wade grabbed his bag off the conveyor belt and walked to where Zoe was waiting with the bag he pulled off earlier. He flung his bag over his shoulder and lifted the handle of Zoe's bag to wheel it behind him. With his other hand, he grabbed her hand and they walked towards the exit.

"Wade, my man! Good to see you!" a loud voice bellowed from the parking lot. Wade's face lit up and he walked towards a man Zoe assumed was Lavon. He gave him a hug followed by a weird hand shake which caused Zoe to smile. Wade motioned for Zoe to come over and Lavon greeted her with a smile.

"Ah, the famous Zoe. Lavon's heard a lot about you."

"You're not Lavon?" Zoe asked, confused.

"He likes to talk in the third person sometimes, ignore him," Wade explained with a chuckle.

"It's nice to meet you Lavon," Zoe said, sticking her hand out.

"Nah, none of that," Lavon boomed as he pushed her hand away, stepping forward and picking her up in a bear hug which caused Zoe to squeal. Once he put her down, he led them to the car and opened the passenger seat door for Zoe while Wade put the bags in the trunk.

Lavon parked his Navigator outside the gate house and hopped out, grabbing the bags out the trunk while Wade and Zoe got out the car. Zoe walked towards the entrance and turned around once she was up the stairs to see Wade still standing by the car.

"You coming?" she called. Wade faltered for just a second then smiled before walking towards her. "You ok?" she asked once he reached her.

"Yeah, peachy," he said, flinging his arm around her shoulder and leading her inside.

"I wasn't sure if you wanted dinner but we have some stuff back at the main house if you're hungry. I can just ask Lemon to warm something up," Lavon said as the couple stood in the entrance.

"We ate on the plane but thanks man. We're pretty beat from all the travellin'. Still don' know why we have to go via Houston, seems so out of the way," Wade rambled.

"Ok, understandable. Breakfast at my place anytime from 8. Have a good night you two," Lavon said, tipping his hat to Zoe before heading out.

Wade kicked his boots off and sat on the couch, putting his feet up. Zoe slipped off her shoes and padded over to him. She sat on the table in front of him and took his hands in hers.

"Are you ok?" she asked, her voice laced with concern.

"Yeah, fine. Why?"

"You just seemed to be a little hesitant to come inside earlier." Wade sighed deeply and rubbed his head with his hand.

"This is basically the first time I've been here since," he swallowed, "since my dad died. Or since I left because of it. It felt worse than I thought it would."

"I'm sorry," Zoe said. He gave her a small smile and she got up to sit next to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and he pulled her close. "I wish I knew what to say."

"You jus' bein' here is enough. You have no idea how glad I am that you're here," he murmured into her hair. Zoe smiled and nuzzled her head into his shoulder. She felt a warm feeling spread over her body as they lay on the couch talking about everything and nothing. She loved spending time with him and even though they barely saw each other because of their crazy schedules, every time she did see him, she found herself falling deeper for him and it terrified her.

"Zo?"

"Mmm?"

"I lost ya there," he said with a light nudge.

"Sorry, I'm exhausted," Zoe said, stifling a yawn.

"Let's go to bed," Wade said, standing and pulling her up.

XXX

Zoe was putting in her earrings when Wade stepped into the bathroom wearing his wedding outfit. She looked at him through the mirror and smiled.

"I can't believe I have to wear a damned dress," he muttered as he fiddled with the sash.

"I actually think you look sexy," Zoe said turning around and blushing slightly.

"Lord of the Rings does it for you?" Wade asked with a smirk, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Hey!" Zoe squirmed as Wade poked her stomach lightly. "Lord of the Rings does not do it for me. Well, Orlando Bloom isn't bad. But you do it for me."

"Oh is that right?" Wade murmured as he pressed his lips to her neck. He smirked against her skin when he heard her breath catch. "You do it for me too. Especially in this dress." He trailed kisses down her neck. He put his hand on her back which was open due to the low cut of the dress.

"Perfect amount of skin on display," he breathed against her chest, mouthing his way down the deep V in the front.

"We're gonna be late," Zoe moaned.

"Do you care?"

"Not really," Zoe gasped as his hand slid under her dress. "But you should."

"I should what?"

"Care if we're late," she panted, his hands roaming her body.

"I'm not important for the ceremony, no one will notice," he sighed as he knelt down, pushing her against the sink, riding her dress up.

"You're the best man, you're important."

"This is more important. I'll be quick," he promised, his breath tickling her thigh. Zoe ran her hand through his hair.

"But we..." she stopped suddenly as he pushed her underwear down.

"But what?" Wade asked; she could feel him smile against her. Her only response was to moan loudly, throwing her head back and forgetting what she was going to say.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the church and Wade kissed Zoe quickly before running off to the back room of the church to meet Tom.

"Wait!" Zoe called after him and he turned and ran back to her.

"What?" he asked. Zoe ran her hands through his hair, flattening the back before rubbing the lipstick off his neck.

"You look like you just had sex," she explained as she straightened his sash.

"I did," he winked at her. Zoe went a deep shade of red and gave him a once over to make sure everything was in place.

"Ok go," she said, pushing him toward the church. She walked into the church and sat by Lavon and Lemon, who she had met that morning at breakfast. During the ceremony, Wade kept stealing glances at Zoe who felt her heart pounding in her chest. She felt like a teenager with a crush every time he looked at her even though they had been dating for almost 3 months and official for 1 month.

"You really like him huh?" Lemon whispered, watching them make eyes at each other as he walked out of the church after the ceremony finished. Zoe blushed and bit her lip.

"Yeah," she confessed. "I feel all giddy when I think about him. It kinda scares me."

"Why?"

"Our schedules are really hectic so we barely see each other. Sometimes I find myself getting frustrated cause I want to see him all the time but we go days, sometimes weeks without seeing each other. And then I start a fight and question our relationship."

"Do you doubt what you have?" Lemon pressed. Zoe shook her head profusely.

"Not at all. It's all my own insecurities. I sometimes feel the first few months are when it's meant to be carefree and easy but we have to work so hard to see each other. And I like him so much it physically hurts sometimes. I guess I'm scared one day he's gonna say it's too hard so maybe I'm just protecting myself because I know I'm already falling head over heels."

"If it helps, him bringing you to the wedding definitely means he's just as into you," Lemon said with a smile. Zoe blushed again and they headed out of the church.

XXX

Zoe was standing at the refreshment table watching the wacky residents of Bluebell interact. She was waiting for Wade to finish taking the wedding party photos. Lavon and Lemon had introduced her to a few people before they had made their way their table but currently, she was standing alone.

"Zoe?" a voice said behind her. Zoe turned around and smiled when she saw George.

"Hi George, how are you?" she asked as she hugged him.

"I'm great! How are you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm here with Wade," Zoe explained, twirling her wine glass between her fingers.

"You're a good friend," George said.

"What? No I'm..." but she was interrupted by him.

"I know he had probably told Tom he was bringing a date and then when things ended with Sarah, it must have been too late for him to cancel his plus one. And I know he told you about his dad so it's great that you're here to support him and help him out."

"Actually, George, Wade and I..." but again he interrupted her.

"You look amazing Zoe. I'm actually really glad you're here. We never got to finish that kiss after our date so maybe tonight's our night." Zoe shifted uncomfortably as George brushed his hand up her arm. "Can I get you a refill for that wine?"

"No thank you, I've had enough for now."

"I'm glad we're going to be at the single's table together. Maybe we could leave a little early and go have some fun on our own." Zoe's eyes widened and she stepped back slightly, putting distance in between them. She saw Wade out of the corner of her eye and she turned to see him walking towards her.

As he got closer, he said, "You were the prettiest girl in the whole church." Before she could respond, Wade cupped Zoe's face and kissed her deeply. When he pulled away, Zoe was turning bright red.

"Oh hey man, didn' see ya there," Wade said turning to George. He pulled him into a hug and patted his back.

"You guys are dating?" George squeaked.

"Yeah," Wade said with a smile. "How long's it been now Babe? Official for a month but datin' for what? 3?"

"Just about," Zoe replied softly.

"I had no idea," George said awkwardly, adjusting his tie.

"Cause you never returned my call a few weeks back," Wade laughed, smacking him playfully on the back.

"I wish I had," George said while pointedly looking at Zoe.

"Water off a duck's back man. How've you been?" Wade asked, oblivious to what had happened before he entered the conversation.

"I gotta go talk to Frank about something but I'll catch up with you later," George said and hurried off.

"What was that about?" Wade asked, looking down at Zoe.

"You remember him and I went on a date right?"

"Oh my God, I totally forgot about that. Was he hittin' on you?"

Zoe looked around before answering, "No," in a high pitched voice.

"I'mma kill him," Wade said clenching his fists.

"Would you relax? He didn't know we are dating, cut him some slack."

"What did he say to you?" Wade pressed on. Zoe rolled her eyes.

"Do you remember what I said about how that date went when you asked me?"

"Not really," Wade shrugged and Zoe rolled her eyes again.

"You're such a boy. I said he was perfectly nice but there were no sparks."

"Oh, yeah," Wade nodded. "Yeah, I remember now. Ok, I feel better." Zoe shook her head and put her hands on his biceps, rubbing her hands up and down.

"You really gotta get your jealousy under control Baby."

"To be fair, I recall feelin' jealous when I walked in on you kissin' him all those months ago. I can't seem to control it when it comes to you."

"You know there's no need to be jealous right? I'm yours and only yours."

"I know and I'm yours." Zoe smiled up at him and pressed up onto her toes to kiss him gently on the lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist and when she pulled away, she rested her head on his chest and listened to his racing heart beat slow down, much like her own did every time they kissed.

 **Author's note: Thanks for reading! The next chapter will continue in Bluebell, this chapter ended up being too long so I had to split it.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Got a review yesterday asking for an update today because it is her birthday so this chapter is dedicated to Savannah. Happy birthday :) The next chapter will be up in a few weeks only but I am working on it! Enjoy.**

After the speeches were done, Wade and Zoe were sitting at their table drinking champagne when a few of the Bluebellians she hadn't met yet came over. Wade stood up and greeted them all with warm hugs.

"Zoe, come meet everyone," he said happily. Zoe stood up and stood next to him. "Zoe, this is Meatball, Frank, Dash, Sgt Jeffries and Shula. Everyone this is Zoe, my girlfriend." They all hugged her and fussed over her while Wade looked on proudly.

"Wade, we miss you here man," Meatball said once the commotion over Zoe was done. Wade shoved his right hand into his pocket while he snaked his left arm around Zoe's waist.

"The new bartender at the Rammer Jammer is horrible. He messes up my order every day," Shula added, stomping her foot.

"You know you never finished fixing that leak in my boat," Frank added.

"I miss y'all too but my life is in New York now," Wade explained.

"I for one understand completely. Who wouldn't want to live in the home of Broadway? Tell me son, have you gone to many shows?" Dash asked giddily, waving his hands wildly.

"Don't know why'd you wanna live up there with them damn Yankees," Sgt Jeffries mumbled. Zoe looked down and Wade glared at him.

"Excuse me, I need to use the restroom," Zoe said, walking off.

"Now that was uncalled for Serg," Bill said to Sgt Jeffries.

"I don't care. We don't need one of our own living up there with those traitors." Wade watched quietly as the two men bickered for a few minutes.

"Seriously though man, as your best friend, when you comin' home?" Meatball asked once the bickering had simmered down.

Wade shrugged, "My life isn' here anymore."

"That's horse crap and you know it! Look around you man. Everything you love is here. Bluebell is your home."

Wade sighed deeply.

"I know you miss it."

"I do. I really do but," he paused. "Zoe's in New York."

"You gonna leave everyone behind for a girl?"

"She's one hell of a girl," Wade explained with a shy smirk. Seconds later, Zoe put her hand on his arm. Wade looked down at her and grinned broadly. Meatball shook his head and walked away.

"Let's go have more champagne. I wanna get you out on that dance floor," Wade said and pulled Zoe towards the champagne tower as she laughed behind him.

An hour later and copious amounts of champagne later, Wade was standing in the middle of the dance floor with Lavon, Tom and George singing 'Sweet Home Alabama' while Zoe, Lemon and Wanda laughed from the sidelines. Soon, all the guests joined them including the girls Zoe was standing with.

"Get your butt on the dance floor!" Wade called to her.

"No way, this is a Bluebell thing," Zoe said, shaking her head. Wade pushed his way through the now large crowd and grabbed her hand, pulling her to the middle of the dance floor. He twirled her around and pulled her into him, his one hand on her waist while his other held her hand. For the rest of the song, he spun her around the dance floor while singing along in her ear while she giggled gleefully.

"Let me take my shoes off," Zoe yelled over the music after the fifth song finished. Wade escorted her to their table where they downed another two glasses of champagne each before making their way back to the dance floor. A slow love song came on and Zoe wrapped her arms tightly around Wade's waist. They swayed to the music, getting lost in their own world.

"I gotta lean all that way down to kiss you now," Wade murmured against her hair. Zoe looked up and stood on her tip toes as Wade leaned down. Their lips met and soon, they were no longer dancing. They stood in the middle of the dance floor lost in their embrace as couples danced around them.

"Get a room," Lavon laughed loudly. Zoe tried to pull away but Wade kept his lips on hers as she moved back and smirked against her lips. He gripped her waist tighter and kept kissing her, ignoring the people around him.

"Wade," Zoe muttered into his mouth.

"Let's go home," Wade suggested, breaking away from her. Zoe nodded and soon, they were in Wade's car in the church parking lot.

"I'm not so sure you should be driving," Zoe said as Wade drove towards the plantation.

"It's only a 5 minute drive and there are no cars around. I ain' that drunk."

"I really think you should pull over," Zoe pressed.

"Doc, I'm fine. We're almos' there." Zoe placed her hand on his leg and when he felt it move higher, his mouth formed an 'O' when he realized what she was getting at. He pulled the car over and before he could even turn the car off once he put it in park, Zoe was climbing into his lap. He pulled the keys out of the ignition as she pushed her lips to his. He threw the keys aside and ran his hands through her hair. Zoe moved her hips against his and he moaned. He lifted her dress up and pulled it off over her head, leaving her in nothing but a lacy thong.

"It's kinda convenient that you're wearing a dress," Zoe giggled as she placed wet kisses on his neck. Wade grunted in acknowledgement but didn't disagree. He palmed her chest and Zoe hiked up Wade's outfit only to discover he wasn't wearing any underwear.

"You were wearing underwear when we left for the church!" Zoe gasped.

"No, I was wearin' some before we left for the church and then you took them off," Wade smirked.

"Why didn't you put them back on?"

"I knew you were gonna try get some tonight so I made it easy for you," Wade winked. Zoe burst out laughing, all the champagne she'd had taking control. She leaned back and suddenly, a loud noise broke the silence of the night.

"Did I just play Dixie with my butt?" Zoe asked as Wade tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She giggled uncontrollably again. Wade silenced her with one kiss and pulled off her thong.

XXX

Wade slipped out of bed and slid on his sweat pants that were lying on the floor at the foot of the bed. After brushing his teeth and finding a shirt in his bag, he put on his shoes and headed towards the door.

"Where you going?" Zoe mumbled from the bed, barely lifting her head from the pillow. Wade walked up the bed and went to his haunches. He ran his hand through Zoe's hair and she opened one eye slowly.

"Jus' headin' out for a bit, you sleep. I'll be back soon."

"Where?"

"Doesn' matter. Be back before you know it, k?" Wade pressed a kiss to her head and got up, heading to the door. Zoe rolled over and fell back to sleep.

Wade walked the familiar path he hadn't walked in many months yet every time he walked it, the same wave of emotions washed over him. A large lump formed in his throat as he reached the gates of the grave yard. It never got easier for him to visit his mother's grave but this was the first time visiting both parents and the realization was crushing.

Wade came to a stop in front of two grave stones, one overgrown with weeds and the other with a fresh layer of new grass, some of the ground still visible. One was grimy and cracked and the other was stark white. The contrast was jarring as Wade shoved his hands into his pockets and looked at the names of the two people he loved most in the world. He felt tears prick his eyes as he read the name of his father over and over. He sighed deeply and rubbed his eyes furiously with the heel of his hand as the tears threatened to fall. Wade sat down on the grass and fiddled with some of the long grass growing at the head stone of his mother's grave.

"I miss you. So much," he choked out. He didn't know how long he sat there, in silence, but eventually he got up and walked towards the exit after looking back one more time.

Wade wandered around the area near the graveyard, his thoughts reeling. Being back in Bluebell was a lot harder than he anticipated. Everything reminded him of his dad but at the same time he missed the feeling of community. Seeing everyone at the wedding as great and he had so much fun but a lot of that was because Zoe was with him. She had become such an important part of his life that he felt conflicted and torn. He wanted to be in Bluebell with his friends and family but he also wanted to be with Zoe. Whichever place he chose to live, he would have something missing from his life and either way, he couldn't see himself being fully happy in either place.

Wade walked back into the gate house to find Zoe pacing in front of his bed, biting her nails.

"Where were you?" she asked, hastening to him. She put her hands on his face and looked at him, like she was checking him for injuries.

"What you doin' Doc?"

"I was worried sick about you! You've been gone for 5 hours." Wade scrunched up his face as she looked at him with wide, worried eyes.

"I didn' realize I was gone for so long. I'm sorry Baby," Wade said as he leaned down to kiss her. She dodged him mouth and folded her arms over her chest.

"Oh no, you can't just kiss me and hope I'll forget. Where were you?"

"I uh... I was jus' walkin' around," Wade muttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Ok," Zoe said, not pushing the matter further, having a feeling that she knew exactly where he had gone. "What do you wanna do today?"

"Wait, that's it? You ain' gonna ask a million questions?"

"I trust you and if you want to tell me you can but all that matters is that you're here now. So what do you wanna do?"

"Lunch at the Rammer Jammer?"

"Yes! I want to see where you used to work. Let's go, I'm starving!"

"I just wanna change my pants into somethin' more presentable, give me a minute." After Wade put on a pair of jeans, he walked up to Zoe and kissed her with so much passion that she was feeling dizzy when he pulled away.

"What was that for?" she breathed, steadying herself on his arms.

"I didn' get to give you a good mornin' kiss and it's a thank you for trustin' me."

"You're welcome. Now can we please get going before I eat your hand?" Wade laughed and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder and walked to the car. She laughed as she smacked his butt causing him to laugh even louder.

XXX

Wade hauled the bags out of the cab before tipping the driver and walking to Zoe's building where she was waiting.

"Hey Miles," he greeted the bellman as they walked through the entrance towards the elevator.

"Mr Kinsella, Dr Hart," Miles responded, tipping his hat. "Did you have a good getaway?"

"It was amazing, thank you Miles," Zoe said with a smile.

"You two have a good night now," Miles said as the elevator doors opened and the couple stepped inside.

After placing Zoe's bag in her bedroom, Wade walked out to see Zoe sitting on the couch with her feet curled under her. He hovered between the living room and the front door.

"Come sit," Zoe said, holding out her hand and gesturing to him. Wade sat down and Zoe immediately scooted over and rested her head on his shoulder and finding his hand with hers.

"I loved havin' you in Bluebell with me," Wade said.

"I loved being there and meeting all your friends. Thank you for inviting me," Zoe said lifting her head and looking up at him.

"What's your schedule this week?"

"Not too bad, early shifts tomorrow and Tuesday but I'm free Wednesday in the day."

"Great, we don' have to wait too long then." Wade leaned down and kissed Zoe. When he pulled away, he moved to stand up.

"Where are you going?" Zoe asked, her hand still firmly on his, stopping him from standing up.

"I enjoyed wakin' up next to you these last two mornin's but you've got an early start so I'm gonna head home," Wade sighed, looking down.

"I don't want you to go," Zoe whispered, playing with his hand.

"I don' wanna go," Wade confessed. "But you're gonna be up at like 4."

"That doesn't mean you have to be up at 4. I'll be quiet. I want to fall asleep in your arms again," Zoe said, looking up at him with wide expectant eyes.

"I want that too," Wade smiled and pressed his lips against hers.

"Besides, I know you prefer my bed to yours," Zoe laughed as she pulled away.

"This is true. But you know, it's been a while since I've been in your bed so..." Wade smirked and his eyes glinted mischievously.

"So?" Zoe teased.

"We should test it out; see if that's still the case." He kissed her again and pushed her back so she was lying on the couch. His hand slid up her shirt and immediately unhooked her bra.

"This isn't the bed," Zoe murmured into his mouth.

"The bed'll be there for round two," Wade said as he moved his lips to the pulse point on her neck. Zoe sighed contently and closed her eyes, getting lost in the moment.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Sorry it's been a while. It's been a crazy month. I'm exhausted, jetlagged but I'm officially home. It feels good so I am going to get back to writing now that I have settled again. Hope you enjoy!**

Zoe rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she stumbled to the front door where the loud knocking was coming from. She swung the door open to find Wade standing there with a big smile on his face.

"Mornin'," he said cheerily. He stepped forward and flung his arms around her waist and planted a long kiss on her. He ran his hands down her back as he grazed her lips with his tongue. Zoe parted her lips slightly and he slid his tongue into her mouth. Zoe pulled away half a minute later and blinked up at him.

"What time is it?" she asked groggily.

"6." Zoe glared at him and yawned.

"I've been asleep for 5 hours," she whined.

"I only slept 2 hours but we only have 12 hours before I gotta head to work so we gotta make the most of it," Wade explained. Zoe huffed and took his hand in hers and dragged him towards the bedroom. Wade started unbuttoning his shirt as they were walking.

"Oh yeah, startin' off the mornin' right!" Wade said as Zoe climbed into bed. He flung off his shirt and crawled over to her. He hovered over her and started kissing her neck. Zoe pushed him off her and he flopped down next to her. He tried to roll him on top of her but she turned and faced her back to him. He pushed himself up onto his elbow and again started kissing her neck.

"Wade, please stop."

"Why?" Wade asked, pouting which Zoe didn't see.

"I'm tired, I'm going back to sleep."

"But I've missed you."

"And I've missed you. But you know what else I miss?"

"Sleep?"

"Exactly. Now take off your jeans and cuddle with me."

"Yes ma'am," Wade said. He slid his jeans off and turned back onto his side, wrapping his arms around Zoe and nuzzling his nose into her hair. He pressed a light kiss at the base of her neck and lay awake until he felt her breathing slow, light snores filling the room. After a few minutes, he too drifted off to sleep.

A few hours later, Wade awoke to an empty bed. He climbed out and rubbed his eyes as he walked into the living room. Zoe was sitting at the kitchen counter typing away furiously on her laptop. He circled his hands around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder, looking at what she was typing.

"How long you been up?" he asked groggily.

"An hour," Zoe said, still typing. Wade moved her hair out of the way and started mouthing wet kisses down her neck.

"Not now Wade," Zoe said, moving forward and dodging his kisses.

"Why?" Wade asked, sticking out his bottom lip.

"I have to get this research paper done. It's for a new technique on coronary bypasses."

Wade sighed loudly, "Well what am I meant to do? I jus' wanna spend time with you. I've missed you since Monday."

"Why don't you go get us some breakfast? I'll be done in an hour tops and then I'm all yours."

"Fine," he huffed and slumped to the bedroom to get dressed. "Bye," he said as he walked towards the front door once he was ready.

"Mmhmm," Zoe mumbled and raised her hand in greeting without taking her eyes off the screen.

An hour later Wade returned to Zoe's apartment with bagels and coffee from her favourite bakery. She wasn't in the kitchen where he left her so he put the bagels and coffee on the counter and made his way to the bedroom of her small apartment. When he opened the door, she was lying on the bed on her stomach, propping her head up on her hands and wearing nothing but a sheer slip.

"And this?" Wade asked as he closed the door behind him.

"I know you didn't exactly get the reception you were hoping for this morning so I figured I'd make it up to you," Zoe said seductively, climbing off the bed and walking towards him.

"Oh is that so?" Wade said with a smirk. Zoe nodded and pulled him by the top of his jeans towards her. She deftly undid his button and walked backwards. She moved her hands up and scrunched up his shirt fabric. She pulled him down on top of her onto the bed. Wade laughed as he started kissing her neck and Zoe cupped his face to bring his mouth to hers.

XXX

"I can't believe you got me outta bed," Wade joked as he pulled Zoe into his side as they walked out of the restaurant.

"We had to eat," Zoe giggled.

"It was really good," Wade agreed. "So you gonna walk me to work?" Zoe nodded and they walked in comfortable silence for a while. Once they got to the bar, Wade pulled her in for a hug.

"I don' want you to leave," he said into her hair.

"Me either. We'll see each other soon though," Zoe responded, her hands resting on his chest.

"When you free again?"

"Only on Sunday but..."

"Great, I'm free then too!" Wade interrupted enthusiastically.

"But I am actually going to a baby shower for one of my friends and then some of us are gonna have a girls' night. Nothing crazy or anything."

"But what am I meant to do?"

"Why don't you go out with some of your friends? And then I'll come over that night cause I only have to be at work at 10 on Monday."

"Yeah fine. I'll find something. I'll see you on Sunday night," Wade sighed, trying to pull away. Zoe held onto his shirt tightly preventing him from moving away.

"Don't I get a goodbye kiss?" Wade gave her a small smile before pressing his lips against hers. Before he could pull away, he felt her tongue run against the seam of his lips and he obliged, deepening the kiss. After a few minutes, he pulled away, his frustrations forgotten.

"Bye baby," he whispered as he turned to walk away.

"Bye, I'll miss you!" Zoe called after him.

"Miss you too!" he called back, turning around to see Zoe watching him enter the bar. He ducked his head trying to hide his goofy grin from his co-workers as he entered the bar.

Later that night, after the bar had closed and Wade and his two co-workers were cleaning up, he broached the topic of getting together on Sunday.

"Hey Paul?" he asked, lifting a pile of chairs and placing them in the corner.

"Yeah buddy?"

"What you up to on Sunday?"

"Got my monthly frat meet up. You?"

"Nothin', was lookin' for somethin' to do. Zoe has some party she has to go to."

"Sorry man, maybe next time," Paul shrugged.

"No worries. Hey Carson, you free Sunday?" Wade called to the other bartender, the same guy who was rude to Zoe unbeknownst to Wade.

"No," Carson said shortly without looking at him. Paul and Wade exchanged a look before getting back to cleaning.

XXX

Zoe walked out of the scrub room and made her way to the locker room with her colleagues.

"Paging Doctor Hart. Doctor Hart to the reception area," a voice boomed over the hospital.

"I'll meet you guys in the cafeteria," Zoe said as she changed direction and headed down the stairs. She saw a familiar plaid shirt on a man facing away from her, leaning over the desk talking to the receptionist. She smiled as she approached them.

"Doctor Hart, we were just talking about you," the receptionist said with a smile when she saw Zoe walking towards them. Wade turned around and flashed a flirtatious grin.

"What are you doing here?" Zoe questioned, standing on her toes to kiss him.

"I thought we could have lunch. I missed you," he confessed sheepishly. Zoe went a deep of red and smiled, peaking around Wade to see the receptionist looking at them with a smile.

"I missed you too," she mumbled. "Even though it's only been two days."

"I couldn' wait till Sunday to see you, it was too long."

"Wade," Zoe swooned and maintained her deep red coloring, "It was only two days. We've gone way longer."

"I know. But ever since being with you for an entire weekend in Bluebell, I jus' miss you all the time." Zoe beamed up at him and pressed her lips to his. Getting lost for a moment, they were brought back to the present when the receptionist cleared her throat.

"Sorry Joyce," Zoe said awkwardly.

"Don't worry about it dear. You two are just too adorable." Zoe gave Joyce her thanks and dragged Wade to the cafeteria to meet her friends.

At lunch, Zoe and her fellow surgeons were talking about the surgery they had just completed and what they had planned next. Wade had her left hand in a tight hold the entire time while he pretended to understand what they were talking about.

"What is it that you do Wade?" a surgeon named Zach asked him.

"I'm a bartender at Ardesia."

"I love that place," Whitney, another surgeon, said. "That explains why you looked familiar."

"He's the best bartender they've got," Zoe gushed and put her head on his shoulder. Wade kissed her hair and looked back to Zach who was questioning him more.

"What do you do during the day when you're not working and Zoe is here?"

"I uh... Well I work late nights so I sleep in and workout when I get up, go for a run. Do things around my place. Fix things for Zoe. I keep myself busy," Wade explained, growing quiet when he saw the looks the doctors were giving him.

"So basically you just wait around for work or for Zoe to have time to see you?" Zach asked condescendingly. Wade looked down and felt the heat creep up his neck.

"Of course not Zach," Zoe defended. "Wade is..."

"I am plenty busy when Zoe is not around. I am busy all day, not that I need to explain myself to you," Wade interrupted. Zach looked away, feeling ashamed. "I better get goin', have to get back to my busy day," Wade finished, pushing his chair away and standing up. Zoe stood up too and took his hand in hers. "It was nice meetin' y'all. Good luck with the surgeries."

Wade and Zoe walked out of the hospital in silence.

"I'm sorry about Zach, he's an ass," Zoe tried to explain.

"It's ok Baby. I'm a big boy, I can handle it. I do have to get goin' though."

"What are you going to do till work?"

"I... I have to go to the bank and I'm workin' on this big buildin' project that's takin' up most of my spare time," Wade lied. He avoided making eye contact with Zoe. Zoe sighed softly and nodded. She knew he was lying but didn't call him out on it. He was clearly embarrassed by what Zach had said but she knew, deep down, that Zach was right. The majority of Wade's time was spent waiting. Waiting for work and mainly waiting for her to be available.

"Have fun. I'll see you on Sunday night ok?"

"Yeah," Wade said shortly. "I can't wait," he added, softening up.

"I miss you already," Zoe muttered, her cheeks flushing. Wade gave her a cheeky smile and captured her lips with his own. After an embarrassingly open and intense display of affection that lasted a good 10 minutes, Wade reluctantly unwrapped Zoe from his embrace and headed to the subway.

XXX

Wade woke up on Sunday morning at 11:30 after getting in at 3am from the bar. He looked up at the ceiling and let out a loud sigh. Even though they had only been back from Bluebell for less than a week, it felt like ages ago. His relationship with Zoe was stronger than ever and he was so incredibly happy with her but Zach questioning what he does all day when not with Zoe or working left him feeling down. He dragged himself out of bed and made his way to the fridge, pulling out a beer, twisting it open and taking a long draw. He grabbed the 6 pack out the fridge and made his way back to his bed.

At 8pm, his phone chimed signaling a text message.

"On my way xxx" it read. Wade got out of bed for the first time since that morning and brushed his teeth, not bothering to get dressed or clean up. 15 minutes later, Zoe arrived at his door dressed up with heels so high she was almost his height.

"I brought pizza," she said happily. She had an overnight back over her shoulder and was holding the pizza box with her other hand. Wade quickly took the pizza and her bag from her, letting her in. Seeing her, he immediately felt better than he had since he left the hospital two days prior.

After putting down her bag by his bed, Wade made his way to the kitchen where Zoe was getting plates out for dinner. She had removed her heels and looked a lot more relaxed. He got closer to her and leaned down to kiss her when she scrunched up her nose.

"Did you shower today?" she asked. Wade shook his head. "You smell like beer and bar," Zoe pointed out.

"Does that mean I don' get to kiss you?"

"Don't be silly. Of course you can kiss me." Wade didn't need another invitation before wrapping his arms around her waist and bringing her in for a deep, intense and passionate kiss. They ate dinner while chatting and filling each other in what had been going on in their lives over the past week. They texted often but it wasn't the same as being able to look into each other's eyes when telling a story. When Zoe started talking about seeing her friends at the baby shower and drinks, Wade grew quiet again.

"You ok?" Zoe asked, noticing his change in demeanor.

"Yeah, jus' thinkin' about how we should get to bed soon," he reassured her.

"I am not sleeping next to you until you shower!" Zoe insisted.

"You know, I could use your help in there," Wade said suggestively.

"Is that so?" she retorted.

"Yeah, I have a lot of places that are hard for me to reach and I jus' don't quite have the same touch you do," he winked at her.

"I do want you to be squeaky clean," Zoe agreed with a seductive smile, reaching over and tracing her finger along his hand.

"Don' lie, you like things dirty," Wade said with a laugh chortle. Zoe's eyes went wide with embarrassment before she threw a pizza crust at him. "Should I start namin' some of the dirty things you like?"

"Do that and you can take care of yourself tonight," she threatened playfully.

"Ok, ok, I surrender. Now get that cute butt into the shower before I carry you there." Zoe stood up and giggled, unzipping her blouse and letting it fall to the floor as she made her way to the bathroom, Wade stumbling over his feet as he followed her hastily.

After playing in the shower until the water got cold, Wade and Zoe staggered to the bed, their towels falling to the ground as they moved, lips pressed together. Zoe climbed onto the bed, scooting backwards, facing Wade as he crawled towards her, a wicked glint in his eyes. She bit her lip as her back found the headrest and she reached out to him and eagerly pulled him towards her. They lay down, nothing between their naked bodies. Zoe shifted to the left and felt something hard under her shoulder. She stopped kissing him and reached under her to find an empty beer bottle. She pushed him to the side and sat up, placing the bottle on the bedside table.

"Wade, are you ok?" she asked, concerned. She cupped his face and looked deeply into his eyes, her face laced with worry.

"Yeah, why?"

"Why is there an empty beer bottle in your bed? More than one it seems," she said as she noticed a few on the floor around them.

"It's nothin'. I jus' had a couple beers today while I was doin' some work around here. I live in a studio apartment, there's not much place for these bottles to go. Relax ok?" Wade explained.

"Should I be worried about you? I know what Zach said might have…"

"Baby, it's nothin' ok? It's jus' a few beers."

"You'd tell me if New York wasn't making you happy right? If you wanted to go back to Bluebell?" Zoe asked, voicing her biggest fear.

"Of course. I'm happy with you Doc. In fact, I reckon it's safe to say I'm fallin' for you," Wade confessed quietly. Zoe's eyes widened and her face broke out into the hugest smile he had ever seen her display.

"I'm falling for you too," she replied. Wade kissed her gently and soon, her worry was forgotten as they showed each other just how much they cared.

The next morning after a quick breakfast, Zoe left for work with the promise of making time to see him at some point during the week even though she had a pretty busy schedule. Wade couldn't stop smiling for the next few hours as he thought about how his relationship was progressing and how amazing the night before had been. As the day progressed, his happiness became less and less as he walked through the busy streets of New York. He looked up at the grey and dirty buildings and sighed. He went into a Starbucks and looked around as he sipped on his coffee, not a single person smiling as they made eye contact with him. He texted Zoe and as soon as her reply came through, he lightened up but his mood soon came crashing down again when he realized that she was his only source of happiness in a city he quite frankly couldn't stand. He didn't know what to do.


	12. Chapter 12

**Happy Saturday! Sorry it's so long!**

Zoe walked into an empty hospital room and pulled out her phone before settling on the bed. She put her feet up and crossed them, lying back on the fresh pillow. She opened her recent calls list and scrolled to Wade's number and pushed call. After a few rings, he picked up with a clipped "hello".

"Hi Baby," Zoe said into the phone.

"Howdy Doc, how you doin'?" he drawled.

"Good, just missing you. What you up to?"

"Nothin' much, tryna figure out how to fix this damned pipe under my sink. You?"

"I'm lying on one of the beds in an empty room. I've got about an hour free right now and I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

"Just wanted to catch up. It's been a while since we've had a proper conversation. I miss your voice."

"I'm sorry we haven' seen each other in so long, I've been so busy."

"I know. When can I see you again?"

"Well when is your next day off?" Wade inquired.

"Actually, I have the weekend off. Two whole days. In a row!" Zoe squealed excitedly. Wade chuckled softly at his girlfriend.

"Well then Saturday mornin', you are all mine. Maybe you and the girls can come to the bar on Saturday night while I work?"

"Sounds like a great idea, I'll text them later. So what's new?"

"Same old, same old. Been doin' work around the house and I actually need to get into your place tomorrow to fix that leak in your shower."

"Ok, Miles will let you in and my spare key is under my rug."

"That don' sound all that safe Doc," Wade cautioned.

"It's fine. Miles doesn't let crazies in."

"Well he lets you in so..." Wade teased.

"Hey!" Zoe pouted as she heard his laughter rumble over the phone. "Wade?" she asked after his laughter died down.

"Mmm?"

"I know you usually have Tuesday's off and I'm working but I was thinking maybe you could go out for drinks with some of my friends from the hospital."

"What makes you think they want to go out with me? I've met them Doc, they weren't all that welcomin'," Wade reminded her, thinking back to his encounter with Zach.

"It's not Zach. It's some of my other friends, they are really laid back and I think you'll like them."

"Why you doin' this Zoe?" Wade asked, his voice hard.

"I don't... I just don't want you waiting around for when I'm free. I want you to have friends Wade."

"I have Paul from the bar."

"Wade," Zoe said knowingly.

"What?"

"Please can you do this for me? I saw how happy you were to be around your Bluebell friends and you haven't been the same since we got back. I just want you to be happy," she pleaded.

"I am happy," Wade said although his voice betrayed him.

Zoe let out a long sigh. "Ok," she said, "If you change your mind, they will be at Paxton's at 8. Just ask the hostess for Mike."

"Don' hold your breath or nothin', I ain't goin'."

"Ok. I have to get back to work. Bye Wade. See you on Saturday," Zoe said hastily.

"You said you had an hour to talk though, it's only been 10 minutes."

"Turns out I've got some paper work to do. Bye."

"Bye," Wade sighed as she hung up.

Zoe rolled over to her side and stared out of the window. She was worried about Wade. She had seen a noticeable change in him since they got back from Bluebell. At first, things were great but he was slowly withdrawing. She knew he had no friends and when he wasn't working or with her, he didn't have anything to do. She was running out of ideas to make him happy. She knew if it continued like this, he was going to withdraw completely and their relationship would be in big trouble. She rolled off the bed and made her way to the nurse's station to see if she could find some extra patients, putting Wade at the back of her mind for the rest of the day. She couldn't let her work be affected by her worry. He was a grown man, he could make his own decisions and she just had to be there for him in every way she knew how.

XXX

Wade was lying on his couch and leaned over to grab his third beer from the coffee table. He stretched and knocked it over. It rolled to the ground and shattered, beer and glass going everywhere.

"Shit," he cursed. He got off the couch and went to the kitchen, getting paper towels and a broom. After cleaning up the mess, he went to the fridge to grab another beer. When he opened the fridge, he saw that he was out of beer and he slammed the door shut.

He went to his bed and pulled on the shirt he was wearing earlier and grabbed his wallet. He made his way to the door and pulled out his phone, checking the time. It was 7:50pm. He sighed deeply and once he was on the street, hailed a cab.

"Paxton's on 5th please," he said as he got into the cab. He didn't want to meet Zoe's friends but he was out of beer and right now, when she wasn't around, alcohol was the only thing making him feel ok with his life. Something he and his dad seemed to have in common. The thought made him shudder but he brushed it off and leant his head back against the headrest, closing his eyes as the cab weaved through traffic.

"Hi, I'm here to meet Mike," Wade said as he approached the hostess of the bar.

"Right this way, Sir," the hostess said with a smile. Wade nodded his gratitude and followed her through the crowded space. "They're over there," she said pointing to a table of four men.

Wade approached them slowly, fiddling with the collar of his plaid shirt. "Mike?" he asked when he reached the table. The only blonde at the table looked up and stood up, holding out his hand.

"Wade right?"

"Yeah, sorry I'm late," Wade said shaking his hand.

"No worries, honestly we weren't expecting you. Zoe said you couldn't make it."

"Yeah uh, my plans changed. Hope that's ok," Wade said nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Of course. This is Ryan, Trent and Adam," Mike said as he introduced each person. Wade shook their hands and pulled up a chair. "What can we get you to drink?"

"Beer would be great," Wade said, relaxing a bit more.

"So we were just reminiscing about our college days and how crazy those frat parties got," Mike filled Wade in after his beer arrived.

"Oh uh, I never went to college. I jus' started workin' straight outta high school."

"Aren't you dating Zoe Hart?" Ryan asked him.

"Yeah," Wade said, a smile forming on his face as he thought of her.

"For how long?"

"Officially for 2 months but we've been exclusive for around 5."

"Huh, interesting."

"What's interestin'?" Wade probed.

"I just didn't know Zoe was like that. Usually she only dated doctors or highly educated people. Nothing against you but you just don't seem like her usual type," Ryan explained.

"Maybe things never worked out with all those other guys cause they weren' right for her and I was what she needed this whole time," Wade snapped back, feeling defensive.

"Woah man, sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. Look, she's happier than she's been at work for a long time so obviously you're doing something right." Wade just gave a small nod, bringing his beer to his lips and taking a long swig.

Mike cleared his throat, "Well Wade here is a bartender so I'm sure he's witnessed some crazy college parties. What's the craziest thing you've seen?" Wade shot him a grateful smile and started recounting some of the stories from Bluebell when he was younger.

Wade stumbled into his apartment just after 3am, his head pounding and his legs heavy. After telling sordid tales from their pasts, the conversation quickly slipped back to the guys' work at the hospital. Wade, having nothing to contribute, drank more and more. Beer after beer, the conversation got a little easier to handle and he found himself adding in a few stories Zoe had told him. Soon, the conversation moved onto girls. Once again, Wade felt left out. They were all single and he, happy with Zoe, didn't have much to say. He didn't look at other girls like he used to and while the guys were comparing notes and rating the girls they know, Wade stared down into his umpteenth beer. When asked his opinion, all Wade could say was that Zoe was amazing and he didn't have much else to say. The guys teased him about being whipped and he just shrugged and nodded, not denying it. Wade took off his shirt and managed to slip out of his jeans before falling onto his bed and passing out for the rest of the night and well into the next afternoon.

XXX

Zoe readjusted her cleavage just before she entered the bar. It was still reasonably early for a Friday night so she was hoping to get some alone time with Wade. She walked in and looked around, not seeing Wade immediately. She made her way to the bar and sat waiting. After about 5 minutes, he came out of the back room and when his eyes fell on her, he smiled widely. He sauntered over to her. Zoe looked him up and down, taking in his appearance. She hadn't seen him in a week and a half and while she had the weekend off and was planning on spending all day with him the following day, she couldn't wait and made her way to Ardesia as soon as work was over and she was ready. His hair seemed a little unkempt but the biggest difference was the amount of facial hair he was sporting. She was used to him a little bit of stubble but he now had a full beard.

"Well it must be my lucky day. I don' usually get to serve girls this pretty," Wade said with a wink when he reached her. Zoe flushed under his gaze, feeling at home when their eyes met. He gave her an easy grin but she noticed it didn't fully reach his eyes like it usually did.

"I should hope not," she quipped back.

"What can I get ya?"

"I was thinking maybe I could take a look at the wine selection in the backroom," Zoe said.

"All the wines we have are written up there on the... oh," Wade said when he noticed how she was biting her lower lip. He excused himself and walked over to where Paul was. He whispered into his ear and Paul looked over to where Zoe was sitting and smirked as he nodded. After a minute or so, Wade walked towards Zoe and motioned to her to walk towards the entrance to behind the bar. He opened the swing door and Zoe stepped inside. He took her hand and pulled her towards the back room.

"15 minutes Kinsella," Paul said as they approached him.

"Yeah yeah," Wade said smirking. Zoe ducked her head out of embarrassment.

"Ah hell, I'm feeling extra generous tonight. Make it half an hour," Paul called after them. Wade laughed loudly and raised his hand in thanks, not bothering to turn around to look at him. "Have fun you two!" Paul yelled so the patrons in the bar could hear him.

Wade pulled Zoe into the backroom and immediately pressed his lips to hers, not wasting any time. He snaked his hands under her shirt, immediately finding her chest. Their kisses grew hungrier and Wade didn't bother stifling his moans knowing that the backroom was pretty sound proof especially with the music from the bar. He moved his lips to her neck, attacking it with wet, open mouthed kisses. Zoe reached her hands to his belt buckle but got distracted as Wade sucked on her pulse point. Wade hiked up her skirt and pulled down her panties in one swift motion. He lifted her up after he shucked his pants to his ankles and buried himself in her, not wasting any time.

"You sure outdid yourself Mr Kinsella," Zoe sighed as she pulled up her panties. Wade smirked at her as he refastened the button on his jeans.

"I know; I felt like I was a teenager again."

"Your recovery time was quite spectacular," Zoe teased. Wade walked up to her and pulled her into a tight hug.

"I don't wanna get back to work," he mumbled into her hair.

"I don't want you to but when you're done, you get to come back to my place and I promise, I'll wait up," Zoe promised.

"Are you gonna be wearin' one of those sexy lingerie dress things you got?" Zoe shook her head no.

"Why not?" Wade pouted.

"I was thinking about being naked instead." Wade made what sounded like a low growl in the back of his throat.

"How am I meant to go back to work now thinking about that?" he whined.

"Maybe if you're good I'll send you a picture," Zoe said, pulling away from Wade, winking at him. He let out a sigh and kissed her hard, his tongue sliding across her lips which she parted immediately, granting him access.

After about 5 minutes of intense making out, just as Wade's hand was sliding up her shirt, the backroom door flew open and Paul was standing there, his arms crossed.

"I said half an hour. It's been 45," he huffed.

"Sorry man," Wade laughed, "I'll be out in a minute."

"You better be!" Paul threatened as he left the room.

"I guess that's my cue," Wade sighed sadly. The couple left the backroom and Wade walked her to the entrance of the bar. "You don't wanna stay for a couple hours?"

"Nah, I'm gonna watch some _Sex and the City_ and wait for you to get home. Don't be too late otherwise I might have to start without you," Zoe said, her eyes glistening menacingly.

"Doc..." Wade whimpered. "You're killing me!" Zoe giggled and pushed herself up onto her toes, giving Wade a quick kiss goodbye before turning and walking out the bar. Wade watched her leave and shook his head, unable to believe his luck that he got to call such an amazing woman his girlfriend. Once back behind the bar, Wade glanced up at the wall clock and sighed. Thinking about what was to come later, he knew the rest of his shift was going to drag.

XXX

Zoe woke up to an empty bed but could smell the freshly brewed coffee wafting into her bedroom. She climbed out of bed and slipped on an old, oversized college t-shirt and made her way to the kitchen. Wade was standing there wearing his boxers, facing the stove. She padded over to him and slipped her hands around his waist, pressing her lips to his bare back between his shoulder blades.

"Morning," she murmured.

"Mornin' Doc," he said with his thick accent. He turned around to face her and gave her a quick kiss before turning back to work on whatever he was cooking.

"What you making?" Zoe asked as she hoisted herself onto the kitchen counter.

"Scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. Nothin' too crazy."

"Sounds delicious. What can I do?"

"Jus' relax. What's on the agenda for today?"

"I need a new couch so I thought we could do that today, maybe get some lunch and then we can hang out until we go to the bar. That sound good?"

"A day of shopping? Quick, sign me up," Wade said dully. Zoe glared at him and he moved over to her, placing his hands besides hers on the counter. She opened her legs letting him stand in between them. "Jus' teasin' Doc," he said as he gave her a quick peck.

After breakfast, they both showered and got ready before heading out to Zoe's favourite furniture store to look for her new couch.

"What color do you prefer? Grey, white or black?" Zoe asked, standing in front of the large display.

"I don' really care Doc, it's your couch."

"Wade," Zoe whined. "You spend as much time on the couch as I do. So which color do you think would look better with the TV stand?"

"Don' you think it's more about comfort than looks? Like this one looks super comfy," Wade said gesturing to a large couch with very fluffy pillows.

"But it's green. I don't want a green couch." Wade sighed and flopped down onto said couch and tipped his head back onto the headrest.

"I don' know Doc, it's really comfy. Come here," he said with a wicked glint in his eye before grabbing her hand and pulling her down on top of him. Zoe landed with an "oomph" and he held her in place by putting his hands on her hips. "See, it's good right?"

"How am I meant to tell if I'm sitting on top of you?" Zoe said, giggling.

"You're right, we really gotta get a good feel for it." Wade gently pushed her off of him and lay her down. He climbed on top of her and thrust his hips once. "Mmm, feels great," he teased. Zoe went bright red and slapped his shoulder but couldn't hide her smile.

"Stop," she said while trying to suppress a laugh. Customers were walking past glaring at them and shaking their heads but that didn't faze Wade in the least. He thrust his hips again, his grin playful and daring.

"Sir," a voice said. Wade and Zoe looked to the side and saw a store clerk standing above them with his arms crossed. "We are going to have to ask you to leave. This is inappropriate behavior."

"How're we meant to buy a couch if we're not sure it works for all purposes?" Wade responded cheekily.

"Oh my God Wade!" Zoe gasped, smacking his chest and burying her face into his neck.

"Sir, please exit the store immediately otherwise I am going to have security escort you out."

"We weren' doin' anythin' wrong. We were jus' messin' about," Wade complained as he stood up, sticking his hand out to help Zoe up.

"Sir," the clerk said threateningly.

"Alright, alright. We're leavin'." Wade threw his arm around Zoe's shoulders and led her out the store. Wade couldn't stop laughing at how embarrassed Zoe was and try as she might, she couldn't not laugh along with him.

They walked into a small store that didn't have much of a selection and Zoe made a beeline to a large black couch.

"This one!" she exclaimed sitting down on it and sighing contentedly. The base was large enough that Zoe's straightened legs almost fit without her feet sticking out over the edge. It was large enough to easily seat 4 people comfortably.

"No, I don' like it," Wade said, crossing his arms and shaking his head.

"You haven't even tried it! It's so comfortable!" Zoe exclaimed, sinking deeper into the couch. "Come sit with me!" Wade sighed and sat down next to her. She was right, it was comfortable. She curled her feet under her and faced him, propping her elbow up on the pillows behind her.

"So?" she enquired.

"No."

"What? Why?"

"It's too big," Wade said simply.

"What do you mean? It's perfect. Look at all this space between us!"

"Exactly!"

"You're not making sense Babe."

"I don't like how far away you are from me. With all this space, of course we're not gonna sit close together and I like cuddling with you on the couch," Wade admitted sheepishly. Zoe gave him a million watt smile and crawled towards him.

"You're such a romantic," she gushed and she tucked herself under his arm.

"Don' tell anyone Doc, I got a reputation to protect," he murmured into her hair. Zoe looked up and pressed her lips against his firmly.

"Let's go find a couch that fit your specifications," Zoe said after she pulled away. They left the store wrapped up in each other, Wade holding her close.

In the next store, they finally settled on a grey couch that was Wade-approved. Much to his disappointment, Zoe would only sit with him on the couch and not lie down with him but he made himself pretty comfortable on just about all the store's furniture, even removing his work boots to "get the full effect" as he said. The shopping experience wasn't as unpleasant as Wade had expected. Zoe and he spent a lot longer in the third store than was probably necessary because they kept joking around and spent more time laughing than anything else.

"Is it finally time for lunch?" Wade asked as they exited the store.

"Almost, I just need to go into one more store," Zoe said

"Zoe," Wade complained, slowing down.

"Just come," Zoe said, grabbing his hand and pulling him into an electronics store. "I was thinking we should get you a gaming console," she explained as she weaved through the aisles to the back where they kept the consoles. Wade stopped walking suddenly causing Zoe to be pulled to a stop as she was holding his hand.

"Why?" Wade asked slowly as Zoe turned to face him.

"I want you to feel at home when you come over," Zoe said with a shrug.

"You'd do that for me?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?"

"Well… I don' know Doc. It's your house."

"Mi casa es su casa," Zoe responded. Wade laughed and kissed her intensely.

XXX

"Mornin' Doc," Wade mumbled, stretching his arms out above his head. Zoe, sitting up in the bed reading, looked down at him and smiled. "How'd you sleep?" he asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"I love how your accent is so thick in the morning," Zoe commented. Wade went bright red and covered his face with his pillow. Zoe giggled and pulled this pillow from his face. "It's sexy, I promise." Zoe leaned down and kissed him. She pressed down onto his chest and smiled. When she pulled away, Wade held her in place and pressed his forehead to hers.

"Can we stay here all day?" Wade breathed.

"We're going to brunch."

"Brunch? Doc, come on. With who?"

"With all my couple friends."

"No way, no. Not happenin'."

"Why not? We cannot just spend time alone. We need to socialize with other couples."

"Cause I don' wanna be judged for being a jus' a bartender." Zoe pulled away and sat up, looking hurt.

"Have I ever made you feel like that?"

"Of course not," Wade said, putting his hand on her hip and sitting up to face her.

"Then why do you care what they think?"

"You don' know how it feels to be told by your partner's friends that you aren' good enough."

"We spoke about Zach and he…"

"Not Zach. Mike and those guys."

"They never said that! They wouldn't!"

"They said I wasn' your usual type. That you've only ever dated doctors or highly educated men. Clearly I don' fit that mould and I don' feel like spendin' an entire mornin' with people who feel the same way."

"I don't feel like that and that's all that matters!"

"But eventually it's gonna matter! One day a fancy surgeon is gonna waltz into the hospital and whisk you off your feet and not hate movies in funny languages and like reading those medical books you read."

"If I wanted to be with someone like that, I would be. I want to be with you. Nothing is going to change that," Zoe assured him.

"Either way, I ain' goin' to brunch."

"Wade. You are coming with me to brunch. I am not going to embarrass myself by showing up alone because my boyfriend couldn't be bothered to make an effort with my friends. We have to have friends we can go out with."

"We went out with your friends last night."

"No, I went out with my friends while you worked. You gave us free wine and that was the sum total of you talking to them. It doesn't count as US going somewhere together. We're going. End of discussion," Zoe concluded while getting up and heading to the bathroom. She slammed the door shut and Wade heard the lock click. He sighed and lay back down, waiting for her to finish so he could shower.

XXX

Wade and Zoe walked into the restaurant and made their way over to a large table.

"Hi guys," Zoe said brightly. "I want you all to meet Wade. Wade, this is Charlotte and Dan, Emily and Brett, Charles and Ben and Josh and Beth." Wade greeted everyone as Zoe hugged everyone hello. Once they were all seated again, they looked at the menu.

"Bottomless mimosas," Charles said to Zoe with a wink. "Remember our last brunch?"

"Oh God, don't remind me. I was sick for two days after that," Zoe laughed. The rest of the group laughed along and Wade sat their awkwardly with his hands in his lap. Zoe turned to him and explained, "Last time we all got together, I went a bit hard on the bottomless mimosas and made such a scene at the table. I started singing to Kelly Clarkson."

"Badly!" Beth interrupted.

"Badly," Zoe agreed. "Eventually, we were asked to leave." Wade started laughing and took Zoe's hand in his, bringing it to his lips.

Once they ordered their meals and mimosas, the work talk started. Everyone at the table, except Wade, was either a doctor or worked in an office. They were talking about depositions, court dates, surgeries and overtime. Zoe tried to include Wade as much as possible but soon, he pulled out his phone and texted Lavon.

"Ow!" Wade exclaimed as he felt Zoe's elbow in his side.

"Can you pay attention please? Charlotte asked you a question."

"Sorry. What did you ask Charlotte?"

"I said Zoe mentioned you were from Alabama. What was the transition like? I grew up in Mississippi and it took me a while to adjust to the big city," Charlotte said with a laugh.

"Yeah, it's definitely been a big adjustment. Pretty tough at times but Zoe's amazin' so at least I have her."

"Do you miss it?"

"I do," Wade confessed as he looked at Zoe who was now engaged in conversation with Brett and Emily. "I miss it a lot actually. New York is…"

"It's cold and hard," Charlotte finished for him.

"Exactly."

"Have you ever thought about going back?" Wade shrugged and looked over at Zoe again. She didn't seem to be paying attention to their conversation.

"It's not as easy to leave anymore. Not when I'd be leavin' so much here," Wade admitted, looking over at Zoe again and Charlotte nodded in understanding.

"You should get a hobby, keep busy. Zoe said you played guitar. Maybe you could join a band or something," she suggested.

"She seems to have said a lot about me," Wade said, unable to hide his smile.

"Of course she has, she likes you a lot. I've never seen her like this over anyone." Wade flushed slightly and Charlotte gave him an encouraging smile. She then turned to talk to her boyfriend. Wade sat in silence for a while, trying to pay attention to what Zoe was talking about with Brett and Emily but he couldn't keep up. He took out his phone again and downed his mimosa. As he put the glass down, the server was there filling up his glass again.


	13. Chapter 13

Wade held the door open for Zoe as she climbed into the Uber. She hadn't said much to him since leaving the restaurant. Wade climbed in and shut the door, reaching for her hand after he buckled his seatbelt. Zoe moved her hand away and turned to look out the window.

"Is everythin' ok Doc?" Wade asked in hushed tones.

"Mmhmm," she responded, not looking back at him.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You say nothin' but last time you said that, we had a big fight at dinner." Zoe didn't turn back to look at him and chose to ignore him instead. Wade sighed and the Uber driver made eye contact with him in the rear view mirror and shrugged. Wade sighed again and turned to look out the window.

When the Uber pulled up at Zoe's apartment, she got out the car, slamming the door behind her and made a beeline for the entrance of her apartment block. Wade chased after her, not sure how someone with legs so short could move so fast without running. He finally caught up to her when she had to wait for the elevator.

"What is going on?" Wade asked as the elevator doors closed behind them. Zoe took a deep breath and Wade waited for her to say something but she stayed quiet.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Zoe rushed out and unlocked her apartment. She stormed into her bedroom and slammed the door. Wade stood staring at the door wondering what he had done wrong. Five minutes later, the door flew open and Zoe was standing there in her workout clothes, earphones around her neck.

"I'm going for a run," she snipped as she headed for the door. Wade scrambled after her and managed to reach the front door before she did. He leaned against it, blocking the way.

"Oh no, Doc. You are pissed and you're gonna tell me what I did wrong this time."

"Are you serious?" she spat.

"Yeah, we jus' had a really nice brunch and now you're pissed at me for no reason! Are you due to start your period or somethin'?"

Zoe laughed bitterly. "Did you honestly just say that to me? Do you really think you did nothing wrong?" Wade shrugged and nodded. Zoe's pursed her lips and Wade swore he saw smoke coming from her ears.

"You were on your phone the whole time. You only ever answered with one word answers. My friends tried so hard to make you feel included and you barely gave them the time of day!" Zoe yelled.

"I spoke to Charlotte," Wade said defensively.

"You spoke to her for 2 minutes Wade. And then after that, you acted like a total asshole. Every single time someone asked you a question, I had to nudge you to get you to tear your eyes from your fucking phone and then you either just shrugged or said barely anything."

"I have nothin' to say to them. We have nothin' in common."

"HOW WOULD YOU KNOW? YOU DIDN'T EVEN TRY!"

"All any of you spoke about was business or doctor stuff. I don' have anythin' to contribute."

"God Wade, I am so sick of you using that as an excuse. I can only do so much. They tried so hard to ask you questions that you could relate to. You didn't even bother to meet them half way. Do you have any idea how embarrassing that is for me? I gush about how amazing my boyfriend is all the time and then when my closest friends meet him, they don't meet the guy I see. The guy who is funny and kind and smart and playful. They meet a total jerk who doesn't even put in any effort."

"I'm sorry."

"I don't think you are though. Why didn't you even try to impress them? Do you not care at all that I wanted this to go well?" Zoe asked, angry tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Why does it matter if they like me?"

"Because I wanted them to! God forbid I want my boyfriend and my friends to get along well!"

"I am never gonna get on with your New York friends. It's never gonna happen so stop pushin'!"

"This was so important to me and you just don't care. You only care about what YOU want. Did you ever take a moment to consider me?"

"ALL I DO IS CONSIDER YOU!" Wade snapped. "My whole life here is you!" Zoe looked at him as the tears ran silently down her face. He was breathing heavily and his eyes were shining, wet from unshed tears.

"I am going for a run. When I get back, I want you gone."

"You're breakin' up with me?"

"No. But… I… I need space Wade. I need a few days."

"Why?"

"Because I'm angry. And I am going to say things that I'm going to regret. And you're going to say things too. I need time. Please."

Zoe walked towards the door and Wade stepped out of the way.

"When can I see you again?"

"I'll call you," Zoe promised, kissing him gently on the cheek before opening the door and heading out.

XXX

Wade considered hanging around until Zoe got back from her run but he didn't want her to yell again. Instead, on his way home he swung by the bottle store and picked up a 6 pack of beers. As he was walking to the check out, he grabbed his dad's go to: 2 bottles of scotch.

He woke up when a loud noise on the tv startled him. His head was throbbing and he wasn't really sure what time it was. He leaned over to check his phone and saw it was 5pm. On Monday. He remembered getting home from the bottle store and firing up a game of Call of Duty. He remembered ordering pizza and he remembered beer number 4. He wasn't sure when he switched over to the scotch but he looked around the room and saw he only got two thirds of the way through the first bottle. All the beers however were gone, the empty bottles lying at the foot of the couch.

He unlocked his phone and checked to see if he had missed any messages or phone calls. He had nothing from Zoe but he had a video from George. He opened the video and saw George, Lavon, Lemon and AB hanging out at the Rammer Jammer watching a band. In the background he saw a bunch of the townspeople including Tom, Dash and Brick. He shut off the video as they started saying something. He climbed off the couch, his head pounding with every move he made. He made his way to the bathroom where he threw up all the contents of his stomach. He felt sweaty and shaky so he lay down on the floor of the bathroom, the cold tiles making him feel better. He wasn't sure why his hangover felt so bad this time round. He wasn't sure if it was because he wasn't as young as he used to be or because he mixed his liquors or because he went on a straight bender for a couple of hours and slept for an unspecified amount of time.

After about half an hour of lying of the floor, Wade managed to get up and rinse his mouth out and brush his teeth. He slowly made his way to the couch, his head still throbbing, and lay back down. He put his hand over his eyes trying to block out any light that made his head hurt even more. He thought about how his dad never had hangovers. How was that possible? He then remembered a moment when he was sitting on the roof top with his dad after he had convinced him not to jump. He asked him how he did it, how he kept drinking day in and out. Earl had said if he never stopped long enough for the withdrawal to kick in, he never suffered the consequences. Wade sat up slowly, trying to keep the throbbing at bay. He grabbed the scotch bottle, screwed open the top and took a long swig. He downed the rest of the bottle and soon, the throbbing stopped. He opened the second bottle and turned his videos games back on.

"No, no, no," he yelled at the TV as his player died for the 4th time in a row. He threw the controller at the table, knocking the empty bottle of scotch over. It rolled to the floor and shattered. He stood up, wobbling a bit on the spot and knelt down to pick up the pieces.

He hissed when he felt a stinging sensation. He looked down to see blood flowing pretty heavily from his hand.

"Shit," he cussed. He went to the kitchen and ran his hand under cold water. He saw a long cut from the fleshy part of his palm all the way down to his wrist. He wasn't sure because things were fuzzy and there was a lot of blood but it looked to be about 3 inches long. He grabbed some paper towels and put pressure on the cut. He slid down to the floor and leaned against the kitchen cabinet doors. He leaned his head back and waited a while before checking to see if the bleeding had subsided. When he removed the paper towel, which was now saturated with blood, he could see that the bleeding hadn't slowed down even a little bit.

Multiple paper towels later, the bleeding had slowed down but it hadn't stopped. He was feeling light headed and attributed it to the alcohol wearing off. He thought about calling Zoe but he wasn't in the right frame of mind to talk to her. He was drunk and to be honest, he wasn't even sure how much time had passed since he cut himself. Everything was blurry. He got up and made his way to the bathroom. He found the first aid kit Zoe had brought for him to keep in the house and wrapped his hand up in gauze. He brushed his teeth and made his way to his bed.

He woke up a few hours later in a cold sweat. He could see that it was early morning based on the sun streaming through his blinds. Wade's head was pounding, he felt light headed and weak. He turned on his bedside lamp and looked at his hand. The gauze was soaked through with blood and his sheets and t shirt were stained red. He slowly took the gauze off and saw that it was still bleeding.

"Fuck," he swore as he stood up. He felt like he was going to throw up. He managed to stumble to his closet and pulled out a clean shirt. He slipped on his boots, wrapped some paper towel around his hand and grabbed his phone as he unsteadily made his way to the front door. Somehow he managed to get into a cab and asked the driver to take him to the hospital.

"What is the time Sir?" he asked as the cab wove through traffic.

"6:30," the driver responded. Wade nodded. He knew Zoe would be at the hospital probably just finishing with rounds if he remembered what she had told him in the past correctly.

Wade paid the driver once they arrived at the hospital and he made his way inside to the reception area.

"I uh… I cut my hand real bad and I think I need to get it sewn up. Can you page Dr Zoe Hart?"

"You're going to have to fill out this form and then we can get a doctor to see you," the receptionist said.

"I don't think I can write right now. Look can you please just page Dr Hart. I know she's workin' and she can help me. I want her to help me. I'm feelin' pretty sick from the blood loss and I jus' wanna speak to her."

"Dr Hart is a surgeon sir, we do not page her for non surgical cases. Please have a seat, we will have someone take you back to a room and help you fill out the form."

"But Dr Hart is my…"

"Have a seat sir."

"But…"

"Sir. Have a seat. Someone will be with you soon."

A couple minutes later a scrawny looking guy came to take Wade to one of the beds in the ER.

"I'm going to help you fill out the form so we can get you to see a doctor," the young man explained.

"I don' need your help with that. I need you to find Dr Zoe Hart. Do you know her?"

"Yes sir I do. But I do not have the authority to page her and she's not working the ER this week."

"I don' care. Page her or find her or do somethin'."

"Can you tell me your name so I can start filling out this form?"

"My name is Wade Kinsella. Now go find her and tell her that Wade Kinsella is in the ER and wants to see her."

"Sir I… Mr. Kinsella I am not allowed to do that. You're not looking all that good, you're pale and from the looks of the blood seeping through onto your shirt, it's been bleeding for a while. We cannot work on you until you tell us your information. Please let's just fill out this form and I'll do my best to find her." Wade relented and let who he assumed was an intern to fill out the form. When they were done, the intern disappeared to go find Zoe.

Wade lay back and closed his eyes. His hangover was in full force and it felt worse than ever although that easily could have been partly because he wasn't sure when last he ate and the fact that he was dealing with a lot of blood loss.

"Mr Kinsella, my name is Dr Reynolds and I am going to take a look at that hand," a voice said as he heard the curtain pull back. Wade opened his eyes to see a man with a white coat and the intern from earlier standing behind him looking nervous.

"I want Dr Hart," Wade moaned.

"She's unavailable right now and we need to get you checked out."

"Did you tell her it was me that was asking for her?" Wade questioned.

"Yes Mr Kinsella," Dr Reynolds responded impatiently. Wade felt his heart sink. She didn't even want to see him when he was injured? That didn't sound like her.

"I don' believe you. Find Dr Hart. I am not letting you touch me until she gets here."

"Dr Hart is very busy. Too busy to sew up a drunken man's hand at 7 in the morning."

"She will want to see me. Page her or I am goin' to another hospital."

"Roy, go find Dr Hart please," Dr Reynolds ordered the intern. He scurried off, returning 5 minutes later with Zoe following behind him.

"I can take it from here Dr Reynolds. Thank you," Zoe said, not looking at Wade.

"Seriously? I am the doctor in charge of the ER today. This is my patient." Zoe stepped towards him and whispered in his ear, Dr Reynolds looking back over his shoulder at Wade in disbelief. He nodded at Zoe and stepped behind the curtain.

"Roy, can you come back in 5 minutes and I'll supervise you sewing up Mr. Kinsella's hand? I just need a moment alone with him to do the examination," Zoe asked the intern. Roy nodded and too stepped behind the curtain. Zoe turned and looked at Wade for the first time since walking in.

"How drunk are you?" she asked bluntly.

"I'm not drunk," Wade insisted.

"I can smell you from here."

"I'm not drunk. Anymore." Zoe nodded and stepped forward and took his hand. She unwrapped the paper towel and drew in a breath.

"When did this happen?" Wade shrugged. He saw Zoe's jaw lock and heard her let out a long breath through her nose, an obvious sign of frustration.

"Last night at some point, I'm not exactly sure."

"Why didn't you call me?"

"You said you needed space." Zoe shook her head in disbelief and her eyes pricked with tears.

"How drunk were you?" Wade flushed and shrugged. "When last did you shower? Before brunch?" Wade looked down and nodded, embarrassed. "God Wade, that was 2 days ago. So what you've just been drinking for 2 days straight?"

"Well no, I started drinkin' on Sunday evenin' and it's Tuesday mornin' so it's not a full 2 days and I stopped last night after I cut myself."

"You've lost a lot of blood. It's a really bad cut Wade. You're damn lucky you didn't severe any tendons. I still don't understand why you didn't call me?"

"I told you, you said you needed space."

"That doesn't mean I wouldn't want to know or care. You are dating a surgeon and you let it get this bad? It could have got infected. You could have bled out with how much blood you lost." Zoe asked, her voice getting louder. Wade put his left hand to his head.

"Look Doc, I get that you're mad but my head is killin' me right now. I don't need you yellin' and makin' it worse."

"The only reason I am not going to yell is because we are in a hospital and I don't need my colleagues hearing my business, not because I feel bad that your head is hurting," Zoe hissed as she walked out of the make shift room. She came back a minute later with intern Roy by her side.

"Roy, Mr Kinsella is going to need stitches and you are going to do them. First thing you're going to do it numb the area, ok?" Zoe said, her voice hitching in her throat. Wade noticed she was biting her bottom lip, willing herself not to cry. Roy nodded and got the injection ready. He pressed the needle into Wade's open cut and Wade cried out in pain. Zoe then proceeded to talk Roy through the cleaning procedure and finally, the stitching process. When he was done, Zoe thanked him and dismissed him.

"You can sleep it off for a while. Have the nurse page me when you wake up and I'll help you get home," Zoe said as she gathered her things, preparing to leave the room.

"Zoe?" Wade called after her as she turned to walk away. She turned around and looked at him with eyes glistening with tears.

"Yeah?"

"Are we gonna be ok?"

"I don't know Wade," Zoe answered truthfully. "I'll see you later. Get some rest."

XXX

Wade sat up in the hospital bed waiting for Zoe to show up. He had slept for 3 hours and when he woke up, the first thing he did was ask the nurse to page Zoe. The curtain pulled back and Zoe walked in, holding a folded piece of paper in her hand.

"Those my discharge forms or whatever it's called?" Wade asked, his head feeling back to normal.

"No uh… Here," she stuttered, handing him the paper. Wade unfolded it and quickly read what was written.

"We're going to Bluebell tonight?" Wade asked, confused.

"Not we, you," Zoe explained.

"I'm not sure I understand." Zoe walked towards the bed and sat down, taking his good hand in both of hers.

"I've been ignoring the signs since we got back from our trip but I can't ignore them anymore. I know you're not happy here and I think you need to take some time away and figure things out."

"I'm happy with you," Wade insisted.

"Wade," Zoe choked. "I don't want to be the only thing that makes you happy. You're drinking a lot, you haven't shaved in over a week, you do nothing all day. I heard what you said to Charlotte. About how much you miss home and I can't help but feel I am the only thing keeping you here. I KNOW I'm the only thing keeping you here."

"So what? This is it for us?" Wade asked, his eyes filling with tears.

"No," Zoe shook her head furiously. "I love being with you but I don't want to hold you back from being truly happy. I care about you too much. If you decide that Bluebell is where you are meant to stay then that's ok. All I want is for you to be happy even if that means leaving. The return date on this ticket is flexible, I booked it for two weeks but you can change it at any time," Zoe said, tears finally flowing freely. "Or you can cancel the return all together," she added sadly.

Wade sat up and pulled his hand away from hers. He cupped her cheek and pressed his forehead to hers. "I'm so torn," he confessed.

"I know," Zoe whispered.

"When I'm with you, I feel like my whole world is better. But then, you leave and…" he swallowed. "I wish I could feel as happy here all the time as I am when I'm with you."

"I know."

"I'm sorry I never put in effort with your friends. Or tried to make a life here. I can try, I promise."

"I know but I think you need to go to Bluebell and take some time to figure out if trying is something you even want to do."

"What if…" Wade started.

"Don't," Zoe said, shaking her head. "We'll figure something out, ok?" Wade nodded and pressed his lips to hers in what felt like their first kiss in forever. When they pulled away, they sat pressed together for a while, breathing in the same air, not sure when or if they'd have the chance again.

 **A/N OK so full disclosure I have NO idea what is going to happen in Bluebell. I kinda know sorta a little bit what will happen at the end of the next chapter but PLEASE if you have any ideas for what you'd like to see, please PM me or leave a message in the review. Thanks!**


	14. Chapter 14

Wade exited the airport and saw Lavon's Navigator parked in the pickup lane. He walked towards the car and just before he reached it, Lavon jumped out the car.

"Wade, my man! It's good to see you!" he said as he gave him a hug.

"Thanks for pickin' me up Lavon, I really appreciate it," Wade said solemnly.

"What happened to your hand boy?" Lavon asked as they got into the car.

"Jus' a cut, nothin' too serious."

"So now tell me about what's been going on. You look like crap."

"Gee, thanks Lavon." Lavon gave him a look and Wade sighed. "I've been strugglin' with adjustin' to livin' in New York. It's so different there and I'm miserable half the time. But then I spend time with Zoe and I've never been happier. Ever since we got back from Bluebell, I've been givin' her a hard time."

"In what way?"

"Seems like Kinsella men all deal with shit the same way."

"You been hitting the bottle?"

"Pretty hard at times."

"Wade," Lavon sighed.

"I know. But you don't understand how conflicted I feel. I don't feel like I fit in with anyone except Zoe. But I don't wanna leave her so I put up with it for the few hours I get to see her durin' the week. And the only way I get through it is by not bein' all that present."

"So why you in Bluebell now if you don't want to leave?"

"She bought me a ticket. We had a fight cause I never put in any effort with her friends or tried makin' a life there. And then I cut myself and ended up in hospital but I never called her. She told me I needed to take some time to figure out what I wanted."

"Sounds like you got a lot to think about." Wade scoffed and nodded, resting his head against the window, watching the scenery go by as they entered Bluebell.

XXX

Wade spent the next two days catching up with everyone in town. Everyone was so happy to see him and he felt like he really fit in, like he would always have a place to go and be welcomed with open arms.

He was on his way to meet George to discuss his father's estate and it took him a full 45 minutes to get from the Rammer Jammer to George's office because he kept getting stopped by townspeople telling him how good it was to see him, chatting to him about everything under the sun.

"Sorry I'm late Tucker!" Wade said walking into his office.

"What took you so long?"

"Forgot how chatty everyone here is. So let's get this over with," Wade said as he sat down and put his feet up on George's desk. George gave him a look but Wade just smirked and ignored him.

"All the money will be transferred into your bank by the end of the month."

"All of it?"

"Yeah, after my visit in New York, it took some time but Jesse finally gave up." Wade sighed in relief.

"Thank God for that, I didn' spend hours diggin' up those damn jars for nothin'."

George laughed, "Trust Earl to hide all his money in the ground."

"Damn nuisance, of course he was gonna leave me with more work to do when he finally kicked it," Wade said with a bitter laugh.

"He left you a decent chunk of change."

"All this time I thought he was drinkin' away all the money I gave him. Shoulda known he was pullin' the damn wool over my eyes," Wade said wetly. He let out a shaky breath and put his hand over his eyes. George got up and walked around his desk. He put a hand on Wade's shoulder.

"He was a good man." Wade nodded and rubbed his eyes one more time before clearing his throat. George squeezed his shoulder before making his way back to his desk chair. "So Zoe," George started.

"Tucker," Wade said firmly.

"What does she have to say about all this?"

"No offense Tucker, but talkin' to you about Zoe isn' really somethin' I wanna do."

"Wade, we went on one date. It was no big deal."

"Yeah but you were hittin' on her the last time you saw her," Wade reminded him. George flushed at the reminder.

"I thought she was single. I never would… That was… I mean…"

"Relax man! I'm jus' messin' with ya. But I do still feel uncomfortable talkin' about it with you."

"Fine. But just know I had to choose between New York and Bluebell once too."

"You have a point."

"So?"

"I don't know Tucker. I still have a lot to think about; I'll come to you when I'm ready."

"Ok, I'm gonna hold you to that. You wanna grab lunch?"

"Sure, Rammer Jammer?" George nodded and the two men exited his office and headed to the bar.

XXX

Wade leaned against a pillar at the Rammer Jammer, his arms folded across his chest. There was a band playing and the whole town was piled into the bar.

"Wade, come sit with us!" AB yelled from a table in the middle of the room. Wade sauntered towards the table, greeting people as he went by. He pulled up an empty chair and sat next to Lemon who was seated next to Lavon. AB was sitting next to George.

"We were just talking about that time Jimmy Praboo put heat rub in George's jockstrap," Lavon chuckled. George grimaced and Wade winced.

"That guy was the worst!" Wade said and George nodded in agreement.

"He was here for Founder's Day," Lemon said.

"Yeah, he officiated the coin toss," AB added.

"Tell me you got revenge!" Wade said, looking over at George.

"Oh I did. Lemon and I managed to make him blue from head to toe. It was epic!" George said proudly, proceeding to explain how they did it. The table was roaring with laughter as he and Lemon recounted their story.

"Remember when he gate crashed our prom? He jus' could never let us have our moment of glory," Wade reminded them.

"Oh I remember that! He came with Crickett. You guys were so pissed when you saw him walk through the gym doors. Wade I swear you bent the fork you were holding when he walked in," AB said with a giggle.

"I wouldn't put that past him," Lavon said. Wade laughed along with his friends as they reminisced. As they were recalling memories of their high school days, Wade felt happy but he felt a sinking feeling just before fully immersing himself in Lemon's retelling of the cow in the principal's office. His smile dropped slightly and he looked around, seeing so many people he loved around him but he felt one thing was missing. One person. He looked over at his friends and smiled but his smile didn't reach his eyes.

He pulled out his phone and opened a new text message.

 _Hey Baby! How's it going? At the Rammer Jammer with everyone. Missing you like crazy though!_

He sent the message to Zoe and put his phone back in his pocket. He tried to contribute to the conversation again but he found himself just listening to his friends and laughing superficially at their stories. He felt like he was watching from a distance, not really feeling like he was truly there anymore. His mind was somewhere else and he felt like his phone was searing a hole through his pocket as he was hyperaware of every minute she didn't text back. Finally, after what felt like forever, he felt the vibration indicating a text message. He pulled out his phone immediately and his face broke into a wide smile when he confirmed it was her.

 _I miss you too! I'm watching Sex and the City curled up on the couch which finally got delivered. Tell everyone I say hi. Call me when you can, I miss your voice xxxxx_

"You talking to Zoe?" AB asked with a knowing smile.

"Yeah," Wade said with a goofy grin. "I'll be right back," he said as he pushed his chair back.

"Gonna call your girlfriend?" Lavon sang teasingly.

"Yeah, I am," Wade replied and he turned to leave the bar. Once he was outside, he unlocked his phone and went to his recent call list.

"Wade! Hi!" Zoe squealed on the other end of the line.

"Hey Doc," he said with a low chuckle.

"I wasn't expecting you to call tonight. How's Bluebell?"

"It's good, hot as hell even for November. How's the couch?"

"It's so comfy, you made a good choice!"

"I can't wait to try it out. It's not too big is it?"

"No, it looks great! Hang on, I'm gonna send you a picture." Wade waited for the fumbling on the other end of the line to stop. "Ok, check your phone." He went to the home page of his phone and opened the text from her. The picture was mainly of her smiling with a little bit of the couch in the background. He could see she was wrapped up in a cozy blanket.

"I can't really see the couch Doc," Wade laughed.

"You're complaining?"

"Not at all! You look amazin'. As usual." Zoe giggled. "I miss you Baby," Wade whispered into the phone.

"I miss you too. It's cold here and I miss your cuddles. How's your hand?"

"It's ok, I've had to take the pain pills a couple times but nothing too bad. Jus' a little bit of throbbin'."

"In 2 days, I want you to go see one of the doctors there so they can check the stitches. A week should be enough but it was pretty deep. So have whoever check it and if they are ready to come out, have them take them out. If not, go back 3 days after that, ok?"

"You're sexy in doctor mode." Wade laughed when he heard her scoff and could picture her rolling her eyes.

"Wade! Come back in here, the next band is about to come on," a voice called from the entrance of the bar.

"I guess you should get going," Zoe said softly.

"They can wait. So what are you wearin'?"

Zoe burst out laughing at his bluntness. "You tell me first."

"Hang on," Wade said and he took a selfie and sent it to her. "I sent a pic." He smiled when he heard Zoe laugh. He had pouted in the picture with one of his fingers in his mouth.

"You shaved!" Zoe exclaimed.

"That I did," he chuckled.

"You seem happier there," Zoe said sadly.

"The happiest I've been this whole week has been these last 10 minutes talkin' to you," Wade said truthfully. "Zoe?" he asked after she remained silent.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think you'd be able to come down here for a few days?" he asked shyly, afraid of what her answer was going to be.

"I'll put in for some leave. I'll let you know tomorrow what day and time I land," Zoe said, not even thinking about it for a second.

"What did I do to deserve someone like you?"

Zoe laughed, "You must have been a very good boy when you were younger."

"That's the thing, I wasn'!"

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me in the slightest!"

"Wade, get back in here already!" the same voice from earlier called from the entrance.

Wade sighed, "I guess I should get goin'."

"Night Baby, thanks for calling."

"Night Doc, can't wait to see you!"

"Me either."

Wade hung up and stared at the picture Zoe had just sent him one more time before making his way back inside to his friends.

 **A/N Good news! I finally figured out how I am going to end this story! There will be 2 more chapters, maybe 3, depending how carried away I get with the one I'm currently writing. Anything specific you want to see covered, DM me or leave a note in a review :)**


	15. Chapter 15

Zoe pulled her luggage from baggage claim and made her way through to the entrance where Wade would be meeting her. She had butterflies from the nerves. She last saw him a week before, when she had taken him to the airport when he left for Bluebell. She had missed him like crazy the whole week but knew it was what he needed. If she was honest with herself, she knew that they had a long way to go and wasn't entirely sure how it was going to be when she first saw him. He said he missed her and she believed him but she also knew he was happier in Bluebell. Maybe seeing her would make him realize that she just didn't have a place in his life anymore.

Before she rounded the corner, she felt her nerves surge. She took a deep breath and stepped around the corner. She looked around and saw him standing near the exit looking anxious. As soon as their eyes met, her nerves disappeared. His face broke out into a wide grin and Zoe practically ran to him. Just before she reached him, she let go of her bag and jumped into his arms, flinging her arms around his neck. Wade stumbled backwards slightly at the force of the impact but immediately caught her, slipping his hands underneath her buttocks. Zoe wrapped her legs around his waist as he hoisted her up to a comfortable position.

They pressed their lips together and got lost in the moment. When Wade ran his tongue along her bottom lip, Zoe opened her mouth and let out a soft moan as their tongues met. After a few minutes, Wade's hand was start to throb so he slowed the kiss down, eventually pulling away and setting her down.

"Hi," he breathed, pressing their foreheads together.

"Hi," Zoe said back, her voice raspy. She put her hands on both his cheeks and looked him deep in the eyes with a loving smile. "It's so good to see you," she said as she brushed his cheek with her thumb.

Wade leaned into her caress and smiled at her, "I didn't think it was possible to miss someone this much." He saw her cheeks turn red and she looked down shyly, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. He laughed at her awkwardness and pulled her into a hug. She breathed in his familiar scent of his cologne and hummed contently. He pressed his nose into her hair, smelling her guava shampoo and immediately felt at home.

"Let's get goin'," he said, pulling away. He grabbed her bag from where she dropped it and waited for her to join him before making his way to the exit. Zoe reached for his hand and he winced as he pulled it away.

"Oh my God Wade I'm so sorry! I must have… but wait."

"What?"

"You were just holding me up. Weren't you in pain?"

"It was worth it," he said with a wink and Zoe rolled her eyes but flushed nonetheless.

"Let me see," she demanded. She took his hand and examined it closely. He had gone to Brick that morning to get the stitches removed. "Mmm," she moaned, deep in thought.

"What?"

"It's definitely going to scar. How does it feel?" she asked as she traced the fresh scar.

"Not too bad, just hurts sometimes when I do too much with it."

"That's to be expected," Zoe said, nodding. She brought his hand to her lips and kissed the scar tenderly. "You ready?"

"Yeah," Wade said before pecking her on the lips. They made their way to where Wade had parked Lavon's Navigator.

XXX

"Zo?" Wade whispered.

"Sleeping," she mumbled. Wade rolled over to his side and started tracing patterns on her bare back.

"Baby," he whispered again. "Time to wake up."

"Why?"

"I'm hungry."

"So go get food," she said, not opening her eyes.

"Ain't you hungry?"

"No."

"We didn' eat dinner and we spent a good portion of the night burnin' off energy. Come on, please!" Wade begged.

"Fine," she sighed. She rolled onto her stomach and turned to look at him, blinking the sleep out of her eyes.

"Mornin'," Wade said cheerily, leaning down and kissing her. She sighed into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Why didn't you let me sleep?" Zoe said sleepily once they pulled away.

"Cause it's your fault I'm so hungry," Wade said poking her side.

"It is not!"

"You made me skip dinner so you could have your way with me." Zoe burst out laughing.

"I believe you were the one who was being handsy on the drive home."

"Me? Never!" Wade said, feigning innocence. "And then you kept me up into the early hours of the morning'!" Wade leaned down and captured her lips again. She moved her lips to his neck and ran her hands down his strong back. Wade climbed on top of her and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He ran his hand ran up her side to her chest and her breath caught. Their lips found each other again and she arched her back as his other hand found her chest. Things were getting hot and heavy and Wade was about to make the next move when she stopped kissing his neck and pushed his chest, making him sit up.

"What?" he asked confused.

"I'm hungry."

"But… but you jus' said you weren'."

"Yeah but I realized I am now," Zoe said embarrassed.

"But… Sex… and we jus'… but."

"Sorry!" she giggled as she got out of bed. Wade growled and followed her, finding sweatpants at the foot of his bed. He pulled them on and grabbed a t shirt before heading to the bathroom to brush his teeth, muttering about being left hot and bothered. Once Zoe had brushed her teeth and they found their shoes, they made their way up to Lavon's kitchen.

Just before they went in, Zoe pulled Wade to a stop and pressed herself up against him. "I'll make it up to you, I promise," Zoe whispered seductively, slipping her hand into his sweat pants. Wade gasped and bent down to kiss Zoe passionately. A few minutes later, Zoe pulled away and took her hand out of his pants. He let out a shaky breath, being left unsatisfied and on the edge for the second time in half an hour. She reached for the doorknob but Wade stilled her hand.

"I'm gonna… need a minute," he said awkwardly. "It's pretty obvious in sweat pants and if Lavon is there then…" Zoe nodded and looked around awkwardly, trying not to make eye contact with him while he tried to focus on anything but her. After a few minutes, Wade cleared his throat and Zoe looked at him. "I'm ready."

Zoe nodded and said, "Sorry about that."

"You so owe me when we're done with breakfast," Wade said opening the door. Zoe looked up at him and bit her lip and he drew in a breath. "Don't Doc! You're gonna be the death of me!"

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "You just look so hot right now. Can we eat fast?" Wade made a low growl in the back of his throat and stepped into the kitchen, greeting Lavon as he walked in.

"Big Z! It's good to see you again!" Lavon said as Zoe followed behind Wade.

"It's good to see you too Lavon," Zoe said. Wade put a plate in front of her and piled it up with pastries, eggs and pancakes. He made himself the same and sat down next to her, basically inhaling his food.

"Slow down," Zoe said, putting her hand on his bicep. Wade looked at her with his mouth full of eggs and narrowed his eyes at her. Zoe started shoveling food into her mouth

"Where's the fire?" Lavon asked with a laugh.

"We didn' eat dinner," Wade explained, his mouth full.

"Why not?" Wade raised his eyebrows and Lavon grimaced. "Nah, nah, nah. Lavon Hayes did not need to know that!" Wade shrugged and kept eating. Zoe excused herself to the restroom.

"So what you guys gonna do today?" Lavon asked.

Wade swallowed before answering, "Later this afternoon, I'm gonna take her to my parents' graves."

"Woah, that's a big deal man."

Wade nodded, "Yeah, I know."

"You ready to open up about all of that with her?"

Wade thought for a second, "Yeah, yeah I am."

"I'm proud of you."

"Thanks Mr. Mayor."

Zoe came back into the room and sat down next to Wade. Before she continued eating her breakfast, she kissed him sweetly on the cheek. Lavon looked at the couple and smiled, confident that whatever Wade decided, they would work it out.

XXX

Wade and Zoe finished lunch at the Rammer Jammer where they were joined by almost the whole town. Everyone was so excited to see Zoe and they barely had a minute alone. Once they left the bar, Wade flung his arm around her and she immediately wrapped her arm around his waist.

"Where are we going?" Zoe asked as Wade led her to a dirt road.

"I uh… If you don't mind, I was wonderin' if you'd come with me to… well… the graveyard. Is that ok?" Wade said, slowing down and taking his arm from her shoulders.

"Really?" Zoe asked softly.

"We don't have to," Wade said hastily, "I jus' thought I could… I don't know." He rubbed the back of his neck.

Zoe put her hand on his arm. "I'd be honored," she said. Wade smiled at her and nodded, leading her back down the dirt road.

Eventually, they reached the cemetery and Wade brought his arm down and linked their fingers together. They walked through the grave stones, Wade in front of Zoe. He slowed down and eventually came to a stop in front of the two gravestones that bore his parents' names.

"Uh… Hi mom, dad. Uh…" Wade started and looked down at Zoe, feeling really awkward. She squeezed his hand, encouraging him to go on. "This is Zoe. My girlfriend. She lives in New York. Which is where I live now too. And uh… I don't really know what else to say… Uh…" Wade laughed self-consciously.

Zoe wrapped her arms around Wade's waist and rested her head against his chest. "You have an amazing son and I'm really lucky to have him in my life." Wade pressed his face into her hair and they stood there for a while, not saying anything.

"Should we go?" Wade asked after about 10 minutes.

"You sure? We can spend more time here," Zoe said looking up.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Thank you for comin' with me. It means a lot."

"Thank you for sharing that with me."

"I didn' really share much. I mean… I don' know."

"Just being there with you was special to me Wade. Truly," Zoe said sincerely.

"Thank you. I wanna show you something," Wade said, loosening his grip on Zoe and taking her hand, leading her through the graveyard. Eventually, they came to a small gate which Wade opened and they exited the cemetery. They walked in silence for about another 10 minutes, wrapped up in their own thoughts. They came to a stop in front of a large pond.

"Wow, this is beautiful!" Zoe said looking around. There was a large tree with an old tire swing hanging from it and purple wildflowers all around the water's edge.

"My dad's place is just through those trees. We used to come here all the time when I was little. Before my mom got sick."

"Cancer?"

"Yeah. She jus' passed her tiredness off as bein' a mom to two feisty boys. By the time my dad finally managed to convince her to go see Harley, it had spread pretty bad. There wasn' much they could do. I don' really remember much but she was in bed a lot," Wade said, staring into the distance.

"How old were you?"

"6. She died 3 days before Christmas. My dad… I told you he didn' take her death so well. But it started that Christmas. That was her favorite holiday and I know she tried to hold on to have one last Christmas with us. We decorated cookies in her bed the day before she died. Anyway, he used to dress up as Santa every year at the tree lighting and he arrived an hour late and pushed the tree over and started yellin' about how Santa isn' real. I didn' understand at the time but now I know he was drunk."

"Oh Wade," Zoe whispered, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it.

"He wasn' the same after that. It was hard cause I had to look after him and I resented him for never bein' able to leave. He would climb up on the hardware store roof once a month. People started callin' him Crazy Earl and after the third time he did it, they realized he wasn' actually gonna jump so they stopped freakin' out. I'd still have to get him down though. And he always asked for money and…" Wade stopped and swallowed. He looked around before sitting down in the bed of wildflowers. Zoe sat down next to him and he turned to face her.

"I thought he was drinkin' the money away all this time but he actually…" Wade laughed, clearing the lump in his throat. "The crazy old man buried all the money and left a note tellin' me to dig it up. He knew I'd never have saved it for myself." He looked up and met Zoe's intense gaze. She lifted her hand and brushed a stray tear from his cheek. "He died of cardiomy… somethin' or other. From all the drinkin'."

"Cardiomyopathy," Zoe said. Wade nodded and took her hands in his.

"Zoe," Wade started. "You know how lost I felt after he died." She nodded. "And I've really been strugglin' with New York. I know it's been hard on you and I'm sorry. It's so hard to not feel at home in either place. I know I should have tried to fit in more. I shouldn' have been so dependent on you, it wasn' fair."

"I know Wade. It was difficult for me to see you so unhappy and know that I was the only thing keeping you there. I meant what I said, I care about you and if Bluebell is where you choose to stay, we can make it work somehow."

"I don' know if Bluebell is where I want to stay. I think I need more time here before makin' that decision."

"Completely understandable. Please just promise me one thing."

"Anythin' Doc."

"Whatever you choose, choose what makes you the happiest. Don't take me into account here. Whatever you decide, we can figure out logistics later but I want you to be happy with your decision because I don't want you to resent me if you realize you made the wrong choice. If you choose Bluebell, it is not a death sentence for our relationship. There are planes and hell down the line, there are even hospitals in Alabama. We will make it work. Ok?"

"I promise. But Doc, jus' know that I meant what I said on the phone. The happiest I've been this whole time has been bein' here with you. It's hard not to take you into account because you're the most important person in my life." Zoe couldn't help herself and leaned in and kissed him. When they pulled apart, Wade stood and up and held out his hand to help her up.

"Enough with the heavy stuff, you leave tomorrow and I'm gonna show you a good time."

Zoe cocked her eyebrow skeptically, "What type of good time?" Wade picked her up bridal style and carried her towards the tire swing. He put her legs through the swing and she grabbed hold of the rope. Wade stood behind the swing and pushed her. She leaned back and laughed, her hair flying in the wind.

XXX

The Rammer Jammer was packed full to the brim. A well known country artist had stopped by for a surprise concert and once the news got out on Instagram and Twitter, people started flocking to the bar from all the neighboring towns.

"Wade, I need your help. Please. There's too many people and the new bartender just doesn't know the place like you do," a flustered Wally said to him. Wade nodded, rolled up his sleeves and made his way behind the bar. It took all of five minutes to get back into it and Wade felt like it was a year prior, before his dad died, before he had to worry about anything. He was finally mixing drinks again instead of just pouring wine glass after wine glass. He was happy, as happy as he felt when he was with Zoe. It was amazing what job satisfaction could do for one's self confidence.

When he had a spare moment, he snapped a picture of himself behind the bar and sent it to Zoe. She responded a few minutes later with a bunch of smiley faces with the hearts for eyes. Wade chuckled and put his phone away, getting back to mixing up a few different kinds of cocktails that he had invented. His cocktails had always been a crowd pleaser and the locals were definitely happy to have the delicious drinks back.

They got the last of the stragglers out of the bar around 2:30am. Wade was helping the staff clean up and was stacking chairs when Wally came up to him.

"It was good having you back in this place. You know, the Rammer Jammer has always been something mighty important to me but I think it's about time I sell it. You making all these cocktails that everyone went crazy over, that's what this place needs. A new, young take on it. Something fresh. Which is why I want you to buy it."

"Wally, I couldn' do that. This is your whole life."

"With my kids out the house, my wife and I finally have time to ourselves but I never leave this place long enough to take her on the trips we've been talking about since we were newlyweds. I need to put my wife first for a change. There is no better man to oversee this place than you," Wally said patting Wade on his back.

"I don' know what to say. I mean, this is a big decision and the money."

"Now boy don't go saying nothing about no money. You know by now everyone knows what Earl left you. I will give it to you at a discounted rate. I can't see who else would be a better fit for owner of this place than you, Wade. Think about it." And with that, he turned and walked away. Wade stood there dumbstruck. He bid the staff goodnight and went back to the gatehouse.

Lying in bed, Wade's head was spinning. Owning the Rammer Jammer was something he had wanted for a very long time, he had always had ideas for the place if it was his. Menu improvements, weekly concerts, an outdoor seating area. It was all within his grasp. He rolled over to his side and put his head on the pillow Zoe had used for the few days she had visited. She left two days before but he could still smell her guava shampoo on the pillow case. He lay there for a while, breathing in her scent. He had one of the best nights working tonight but he knew unless she was by his side, he wouldn't ever be fulfilled. He closed his eyes and pictured what his ideal situation would be. He thought long and hard about where he would want to be living and his work situation. He pictured a number of scenarios. The only thing constant in all of them was that Zoe was always by his side.

He sat up and grabbed a notebook and pen from his bedside drawer. He started making notes, planning for what he had thought about. He had made a decision and for the first time in a really long time, he was really excited for all aspects of his life including living and work arrangements. He stayed up till dawn when he finally drifted to sleep, Zoe's familiar scent lulling him into a peaceful slumber.

XXX

Zoe opened the door and was surprised to see it was Wade who had been knocking incessantly.

"Hi! I didn't expect you back so soon!" Wade just smiled at her and kissed her before pushing her inside, lips still attached to hers.

"I missed you," he breathed as he led her to the couch. Once they reached their destination, Wade sat her down and stood in front of her, pacing.

"You seem really hyped up," Zoe said giggling.

"I am! I was up till dawn and then I slept two hours and then I went to the airport and now here I am. I've had a lot of coffee," Wade explained.

"I can tell! What's got you so excited?"

"After you left, I realized somethin'. Somethin' I should have realized a long time ago. I can't be without you. My life feels incomplete when you're not around and I know that complicates things with Bluebell but you said we could make anythin' work, right?"

"I did," Zoe said with a nod.

"Good because I love you Zoe Hart. You are the love of my life." Zoe jumped up and kissed him.

"I love you too," she breathed against his lips before deepening the kiss. Surprisingly, Wade was the first to pull away and he led Zoe to the couch. He sat next to her and took both her hands in his.

"Wally offered to sell me the Rammer Jammer," Wade said. "And I sat up all night makin' plans and thinkin' about what I want for my life. Where I see myself in a year, 5 years, 10 years. And I made a decision about what I want, what I want for us."

"And what is your decision?" Zoe asked nervously.

"Well…"

 **A/N: I was going to stop this after the tire swing scene but then I figured it would be nice for a cliffhanger and a long chapter. The next chapter will be the last one! Whaaaat? I'll try get it up soon!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Well this is it you guys. Thank you for reading this story, it means a lot. I've had a great time writing HOD stories but this will be my last one. As you know, I just moved back home and my job is taking up a lot of time. Not only that but if I'm being honest, I'm not very inspired to write HOD stories anymore. Wade and Zoe were a great form of inspiration and a great TV couple but it's been over for a long time and honestly, I find it difficult to watch the series at all anymore. I will always love the show for what it was but I don't know, as much as it pains me to say, I don't feel a draw to it like I used to. I will still read the ongoing stories because man, there are some talented writers out there and I am invested in your stories! Thank you to everyone for reading all my stories over the years, your support has been so unexpected.**

 ***9 months later***

Wade was sitting in the office working on next month's performance schedule. There was a light tap on the door before it opened.

"Hey Boss," Wanda said as she walked in. "The band just arrived."

"Thanks Wanda, I'll be right out," Wade responded with a smile. He saved the document before heading out to meet the band.

"Hey there, I'm Wade Kinsella. The owner. Welcome to the Rammer Jammer," he said, sticking his hand out to shake the lead singer's hand. He greeted the rest of the band before adding, "The stage is over here, feel free to set up and do sound check. You guys will go on at 9."

"Will our stuff be safe if we leave it on stage until then?"

"Yeah, definitely. Nothin' bad ever happens in Bluebell, don' worry."

"Great, one of my guitars was just stolen after a show in New York so I'm always nervous these days."

Wade laughed, "Oh trust me, New York and Bluebell are worlds apart. You've got nothin' to worry about. If you'll excuse me, I need to get some work done in my office. If you need anythin', jus' holler."

"Thanks man, appreciate it."

Wade made his way back into the office and after 2 hours, he had completed the performance schedule, confirmed the bands and worked out the work schedule for the next month. He looked at the time and saw it was almost 5pm. He locked the office and went to the front of the bar.

"How's it going Chester?" he asked the barman.

"Good, good. Your latest concoction was a big seller last night."

"That's what I like to hear. I'm gonna go grab a table outside, can you put through an order of two cheeseburgers with fries, one with no onion and one with no tomato. And a glass of the Pinot I keep in the back and I'll have the draft on tap."

"Sure thing Boss."

Wade sat at the table and it wasn't long before he saw the short brunette round the corner at a speed he was sure would make her topple over in those high heels.

"Sorry I'm late!" she panted. She leant down and gave him a lingering kiss. His hands found her bottom before she smacked them away.

"How was your day?" Wade asked as she sat down.

"It was good, I had lunch with Lavon and then…"

"Woah, woah, woah, you had lunch somewhere else that wasn't my bar?" Zoe raised her eyebrows at him and he laughed, gesturing for her to continue.

"And then Brick asked me if I could look over some files of one of his patients. He doesn't know too much about heart problems so he asked if I could consult on a diagnosis."

"Sounds like a productive day."

"It was. What did you do?"

"I worked out the schedule for the next month, the work roster, confirmed all the bands. All in all, a busy day."

"You're so sexy when you talk business," Zoe said with a wink. Wade was about to say something when Wanda arrived with their food.

"Mmm, my favorite," Zoe said as she took a sip of her wine.

"Only for you, Doc."

"So the cabinet I ordered for the lounge is arriving on Thursday."

"What cabinet?"

"The one we picked out last week after work."

"I don' remember," Wade said with a shrug.

"How do you not remember? We had a long talk about how we were going to get your TV stand out of storage and sell mine because this cabinet fit better with your one?"

"I vaguely remember somethin' along those lines."

Zoe sighed, "I was wearing that pink tank top that you like so much?"

"Oh yeah, now I remember. With no bra," Wade said waggling his eyebrows. Zoe shook her head and smacked his arm.

"You are hopeless!"

"Yeah, but you love me."

"I really do," Zoe said as she leaned forward and gave him a kiss.

Later that night, when the show was in full swing, Wade was standing behind the bar whipping up cocktails as Zoe was talking to George and AB.

"Dr Hart," Brick said as he approached them.

"Hi Brick," Zoe greeted.

"Thanks again for help with the diagnosis today."

"Of course!"

"It's nice to have your input so our patients don't have to always drive to Mobile."

"I'm sorry I can only be here once a month but if you ever need a consult when I'm not here, you can always give me a call and I can look at the files online. AB was just telling me she finally got all the patient files uploaded into the system so it's really simple."

"Don't you think it's time you moved here? The people of Bluebell would love to have a surgeon nearby."

Zoe laughed, "Brick, you know that's not going to happen."

Brick huffed but nodded. They chatted for a while before going their separate ways. Zoe made her way to the bar and leaned over.

"Hey bartender," she called. Wad sauntered over.

"How can I help you?" he asked, leaning forward.

"Make me something strong but still sweet."

"No need to make you that, I'm right here," Wade said cockily. Zoe snorted a laugh and Wade laughed with her. He turned to make her a drink and she leaned over the bar and smacked his butt.

"Zoe Hart!" Wade gasped and Zoe giggled. "Seems to me you need to be sent to the principal's office for punishment."

"Right, I've been bad," Zoe said slowly and bit her lip. Wade leaned over the bar again and kissed her slowly. Eventually they pulled away and Zoe flushed, fully aware that they were in a very public establishment.

The next morning, Wade was leaning against the door of the gate house and let out a frustrated sigh, "Zoe come on! We have to leave otherwise we're not gonna make it to the airport on time. Lavon is already waiting!"

"I know but I can't find my shoe!" Zoe called back. Wade pushed off from the door and walked to the bed to find her on her hands and knees looking under the bed. Wade bent down and picked it up, seeing it sticking out from under the couch.

"This shoe?" Zoe looked up and sighed with relief.

"Yes! Thank you!"

"Ok, let's go. We're cuttin' it fine."

Once at the airport, Wade and Lavon unloaded the bags from the trunk.

"Bye Big Z!" Lavon boomed, drawing her into a hug.

"Bye Lavon! Thanks for lunch yesterday."

"Wade," Lavon nodded and the two did their secret crazy made up handshake. Zoe chuckled as she watched them.

"Thanks for driving us Lavon, I'll see you next month. Keep an eye on Tom, make sure he doesn' manage my bar into the ground!"

"You say that every month and yet when you come back, it's still standing!"

"Bye Lavon," Wade said and hugged him. Lavon got into the Navigator and gave one last wave before driving off.

"You ready to check in?" Zoe asked as she picked up the smallest of the three bags.

"Yeah," Wade said with a smile. "Let's go home."

XXX

"Welcome to Jacob's Pickles. Table for one?" the hostess asked Zoe as she walked in.

"Hi, I am actually just here to see your manager," Zoe said politely.

"Oh uh, he's very busy and I'm not sure if I'm allowed to. It's my second day and…" she stuttered.

"It's ok Molly," a waiter named Jason said as he approached them. "This is Wade's girlfriend. Head on back Zoe."

"Thanks Jason, thanks Molly," Zoe said as she made her way to Wade's office. She knocked on the door and waited for his response.

"Not right now," he called. Zoe ignored him and opened the door. "What did I say?" he said without looking up.

"Hi," she said and his head shot up.

"Hey Doc! What are you doing here?" he asked with a big grin. He pulled Zoe onto his lap.

"Well, I know you're finishing soon and I wanted to see if you wanted to go get dinner before we meet up with your friends tonight?"

"Yeah, how bout we go to Per Se?" Wade suggested.

"I'm going to have to change first but sounds good."

"You don' have to change, I love you in your scrubs. So sexy," Wade whispered, his hands sliding under her top and he pressed a kiss against her neck.

"You only love me when I'm wearing scrubs?" Zoe said cheekily.

"And when you're wearin' nothin' and my clothes and your clothes and a towel and every possible outfit," Wade husked out.

"Right answer," Zoe said, leaning her head back as Wade carried on kissing her neck. "Mmm, Wade. We can't get carried away again. Poor Jason is probably scarred for life."

"Well he should learn to knock," Wade said as his hands grazed up her sides.

"Let's go home," Zoe whispered in his ear before lightly sucking on his ear lobe. Wade nodded and the couple gathered his things before heading out.

"Bye Molly," Wade greeted as they left the restaurant. "This is Max, he's the night manager." Max shook Molly's hand before bidding Wade and Zoe farewell.

The couple made the short walk from Wade's restaurant to their apartment which was only 8 blocks away.

"I must say I really love our apartment," Wade said as they walked to the elevator.

"Of course you do, it takes 10 minutes for you to get to work."

"Hey now, it doesn't take much longer for you. It's only a 5 minute car ride from the restaurant."

"I know, I love being so close to you."

"Well now I always have to be on my best behavior cause I never know when you're gonna swing by. No hot blondes in the storage closet," Wade teased.

"Jerk!" Zoe said smacking him across the chest. Wade feigned being hurt and laughed.

"You know what else I love?"

"Me?"

"That's a given," Wade said and kissed her cheek quickly. "But in this case, not what I'm talkin' about. I love how everythin' has fallen into place these last few months."

Zoe nodded, thinking back to the last few months. After Wade had told her he wanted to buy the Rammer Jammer but stay in New York, she had been so happy. After a month, they found an apartment nearby his new job which was conveniently on the same street as Mount Sinai, the hospital Zoe worked at. Once a month, Wade would go to Bluebell for a few days so he could check in on his bar, do the scheduling and try out new menu items. Zoe tried to join him when she could but had started working 12 hour shifts, one week overnight from 5pm to 5am and one week 5am to 5pm. Every 2 weeks, she would do one 48 hour shift. The weeks she worked during the day, Wade worked as the day manager at the restaurant and clocked off at 5:30pm and the weeks she worked the night shift, Wade worked the night manager shift, starting at 5:30pm until 4am. Wade had made some really good friends and they hung out on a regular basis with Zoe's friends too. All in all, they were a happier, stronger couple.

"Doc?" Wade asked, bringing Zoe out of her trance.

"Sorry, got lost in thought."

"You comin'?" Zoe nodded and stepped out of the elevator and walked towards their apartment.

"I'm gonna get dressed so we can head to dinner," Zoe called as she walked to their room. Wade chased after her and grabbed her waist, spinning her around to face him.

"Let's jus' stay here all night, we can order pizza," Wade suggested, mouthing wet kisses down her neck.

"We have to meet Joel and everyone."

"Screw Joel."

"You're his inspiration behind his new book; we cannot miss his book signing!"

Wade growled, "Fine. But we aren't stayin' late. I missed you today."

"You always say that and then you and the guys end up dragging us girls to really bad karaoke and we can never get you to leave!" Zoe said laughing.

"This time, I promise we'll leave by 11. Latest!"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll believe it when I see it. Now I'm going to get dressed and you're taking me to dinner. I'm not that easy, I need you to buy me dinner before you get into my pants."

"I might believe that if you didn't make us skip dinner with your mother on Sunday. I think you told her you were tied up."

"I was!"

"Literally," Wade winked. "But I don' think that's what she understood by you saying it."

Zoe laughed, "Thank God for that. Besides, us skipping dinner with my mother was as much for your own good as it was for mine! She always flirts with you so I was helping you out."

"Oh yeah, your reasons were incredibly selfless," Wade joked. Zoe laughed and agreed, slipping on Wade's favorite dress. Once she found her heels, she walked out into the lounge where Wade was buttoning up a clean shirt. "Well now you see, you aren' wearing pants so technically, I don' have to take you out to dinner first."

"Wade!" Zoe whined.

"I'm jus' teasin' Doc. Let's head out," Wade said opening their front door. "I can't promise I'm gonna be able to keep my hands to myself though. You look hot!" Wade said as Zoe stepped out of their apartment.

"I can't promise that I'd stop you," Zoe said, turning around and winking at him.

The elevator opened and they stepped in. Wade leaned in to press the ground floor button at the same time Zoe did. Their hands touched and they both felt the same jolt of electricity coursing through their veins, exactly the same way it did the first and every other time they touched.

 **A/N:** **I wanted them to end up in New York because Zoe was willing to sacrifice her whole life, potentially end up in Bluebell and I wanted to show that Wade was willing to do the same thing for her. As Wade said in episode 203, change your picture or change your life and Wade did a little bit of both. I also kind of love the idea of them ending up in New York and being happy cause not many people have them end up there. I hope you all picked up on when Wade called New York home :)**

 **Thanks again for reading!**


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